@article{intel:/content/journals/10.1386/dbs.1.2.163_1, author = "Klenner, Nico Florian and Hartz-olsson, Lasse and Capron, Brett", title = "Design as a competitive advantage in start-up fundraising", journal= "Journal of Design, Business & Society", year = "2015", volume = "1", number = "2", pages = "163-182", doi = "https://doi.org/10.1386/dbs.1.2.163_1", url = "https://intellectdiscover.com/content/journals/10.1386/dbs.1.2.163_1", publisher = "Intellect", issn = "2055-2114", type = "Journal Article", keywords = "fundraising", keywords = "grounded theory", keywords = "design", keywords = "case study", keywords = "start-ups", abstract = "Abstract This study examines how design can be employed to create a competitive advantage for start-ups in seeking external funding. Access to funding is a crucial factor for start-ups when it comes to building, developing and growing their business. A better understanding of the criteria sought by investors or financiers can aid entrepreneurs in obtaining funding. The current literature on fundraising overlooks the role that design plays in start-ups’ fundraising activities. A multiple case study analysis shows a number of ways that start-ups might benefit from a design-led approach to fundraising. The study is based on interviews with Danish institutional and private investors, designers, design institutions, governmental organizations and key decision makers in design-led start-ups. The researchers identify the main opportunities and challenges for designled start-ups in the fundraising process and demonstrate how taking a design-led approach towards fundraising might confer a competitive advantage for start-ups that are looking to obtain external funding. The study shows how this competitive advantage might be realized and proposes a model that explains how the fundraising process leading to the investment decision might be influenced by design. This newly proposed model was then tested in a small study of Australian-based entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs, looking for validation, similarities and anomalies between the Danish and Australian start-up cultures.", }