Korean Start-up Ecosystem based on Comparison of Global Countries: Quantitative and Qualitative Research

글로벌 국가 비교를 통한 한국 기술기반 스타트업 생태계 진단: 정량 및 정성 연구

  • 공혜원 (중앙대학교 미래일터연구소)
  • Received : 2018.11.12
  • Accepted : 2019.02.28
  • Published : 2019.02.28

Abstract

Technology-based start-up is important in that it encourages innovation, facilitates the development of new products and services, and contributes to job creation. Technology-based start-up activates entrepreneurship when appropriate support is provided within the ecosystem. Thus, understanding the technology-based start-up ecosystem is crucial. The purpose of this study is as follows. First, in Herrmann et al.'s(2015) study, we compare and analyze the ecosystem of each country by selecting representative regions such as Silicon Valley, Tel Aviv, London and Singapore which have the highest ranking in the start-up ecosystem. Second, we try to deeply understand the start-up ecosystem based on in-depth interviews with various stakeholders such as VC investors, start-ups, support organizations, and professors related to the Korean start-up ecosystem. Finally, based on the results of the study, we suggest development and activation of Korean technology-based start-up ecosystem. As a result, the Seoul start-up ecosystem showed a positive evaluation of government support compared to other advanced countries. In addition, it was confirmed that the ratio of tele-work and start-up company working experience of employees was higher than other countries. On the other hand, in Seoul, It was confirmed that overseas market performance, human resource diversity, attracting investment, hiring technological engineers, and the ratio of female entrepreneurs were lower than those of overseas advanced countries. In addition, according to the results of the interview analysis, Seoul was able to find that start-up ecosystems such as individual angel investors, accelerators, support institution, and media are developing thanks to the government's market-oriented policy support. However, in order for this development to continue, it is necessary to improve the continuous investment system, expansion of diversity, investment return system, and accessibility to the global market. A discussion on this issue is presented.

기술기반 스타트업은 혁신을 장려하고 새로운 제품과 서비스 개발을 촉진하며 고용창출에 기여를 할 수 있다는 점에서 중요하다. 기술기반 스타트업은 생태계 차원의 적절한 지원이 이뤄질 때 기업가정신이 더욱 활성화되고 번창한다. 따라서 창업 생태계를 이해하는 것은 매우 중요하다. 본 연구목적은 다음과 같다. 첫째, 본 연구에서는 한국 기술기반 스타트업 생태계를 진단하기 위해 글로벌 국가들과 생태계 환경을 비교한다. 둘째, 본 연구는 한국 기술기반 스타트업 생태계를 깊이 있게 이해하기 위해 한국 스타트업 생태계 관련 VC투자가, 엑셀러레이터, 창업가, 지원기관 관계자, 교수 등 주요 이해관계자들을 대상으로 스타트업 생태계에 대해 심층인터뷰를 수행하고, 스타트업 생태계 관련 중요한 이슈들을 도출한다. 마지막으로, 본 연구는 글로벌 생태계 현황 비교 및 이해관계자 인터뷰를 토대로 한국 기술기반 스타트업 생태계가 발전 및 활성화 방안을 모색한다. 연구 자료는 서울 및 경기도에 소재한 IT 기반 창업 기업 중 2015년 이전에 설립된 초기 단계의 295개 기업을 대상으로(정부, 엔젤, 벤처캐피털(VC) 등으로부터 투자받은 창업자) 설문조사를 통해 수집되었다. 또한 심층 인터뷰는 창업지원기관, 창업가, 투자자, 전문가 등을 대상으로 한국 스타트업 생태계 인식에 대해 이루어졌다. 스타트업 생태계 현황을 국가 간 비교한 결과, 첫째, 한국 스타트업 생태계 중 정부 지원 및 정책 제도는 다른 선진 국가보다 더 긍정적인 평가를 받았다. 또한 원격근무 비율, 스타트업 기업 근무 경험이 있는 근로자 비율은 다른 선진 국가들보다 높은 것으로 나타났지만, 해외시장진출 성과, 인재 다양성, 투자유치, 기술엔지니어 확보, 여성 창업자 비율 등은 해외 선진 국가보다 낮은 것으로 확인되었다. 둘째, 이해관계자들을 대상으로 실시한 인터뷰 분석 결과, 한국은 정부의 시장 지향적인 정책 지원에 힘입어 스타트업뿐만 아니라 개인 엔젤 투자자, 엑셀러레이터, 지원 및 후원 기관 등 다양한 스타트업 생태계가 발전하고 있는 것이 확인되었다. 마지막으로, 한국 스타트업 생태계가 지속적으로 발전하기 위해서는 연속성 있는 투자시스템, 엑시트(Exit) 방법 다양화, 외국인과 여성 창업자에 대한 다양성의 확대와 투자비 회수 시스템 및 글로벌 마켓에 대한 접근성, 외국인 고용비율 제한, 연대보증제도, 여성 창업가에 대한 부정적 인식, 빠른 성과에 대한 기대 등과 같은 제도, 투자, 고용, 사회문화 차원의 개선이 필요한 것으로 나타났다. 이와 관련된 논의가 함께 제시되었다.

Keywords

References

  1. Aaltonen, A.(2016). Factors Shaping Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and the Rise of Entrepreneurship: A View from Top Management Journals, Helsinki: Demos Helsinki, 4-58.
  2. Adkins, C. L.(1995). Previous work experience and organizational socialization: A longitudinal examination, Academy of Management Journal, 38(3), 839-862. https://doi.org/10.2307/256748
  3. Arruda, C., Nogueira, V. S., & Costa, V.(2013). The Brazilian entrepreneurial ecosystem of startups: An analysis of entrepreneurship determinants in Brazil as seen from the OECD pillars, Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, 2(3), 17-57. https://doi.org/10.1186/2192-5372-2-17
  4. Audretsch, D. B.(2009). The entrepreneurial society, New Frontiers in Entrepreneurship, Springer.
  5. Bae, Y. L., Pyo, H. Y., & Kim Y. T.(2012). A Policy Study for Facilitating the Improvement of Venture Ecosystem: Focused on Israel: Small and Medium Business Institute.
  6. Bahrami, H., & Evans, S.(1995). Flexible re-cycling and high-technology entrepreneurship, California Management Review, 37(3), 62-89. https://doi.org/10.2307/41165799
  7. Bala Subrahmanya, M.(2015). New generation startups in India: What lessons can we learn from the past, Economic and Political Weekly, 50(12), 56-63.
  8. Bala Subrahmanya, M.(2017). How did bangalore emerge as a global hub of tech start-ups in india? Entrepreneurial ecosystem-Evolution, structure and role, Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship, 22(01), 1750006. https://doi.org/10.1142/S1084946717500066
  9. Bates, T., Jackson III, W. E., & Johnson Jr, J. H.(2007). Advancing research on minority entrepreneurship, The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 613(1), 10-17. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716207303405
  10. Beer, S.(1964). Cybernetics and management, New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
  11. Bharadwaj, A., El Sawy, O., Pavlou, P., & Venkatraman, N.(2013). Digital business strategy: toward a next generation of insights, MIS Quarterly, 37(2), 471-482. https://doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2013/37:2.3
  12. Brush, C. G., De Bruin, A., & Welter, F.(2009). A gender-aware framework for women's entrepreneurship, International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, 1(1), 8-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/17566260910942318
  13. Coenen, M., & Kok, R. A.(2014). Workplace flexibility and new product development performance: The role of telework and flexible work schedules, European Management Journal, 32(4), 564-576. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2013.12.003
  14. Cohen, B.(2006). Sustainable valley entrepreneurial ecosystems. Business Strategy and the Environment, 15(1), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.428
  15. Decker, R., Haltiwanger, J., Jarmin, R., & Miranda, J.(2014). The role of entrepreneurship in US job creation and economic dynamism, Journal of Economic Perspectives, 28(3), 3-24. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.28.3.3
  16. Foster, G., Shimizu, C., Ciesinski, S., Davila, A., Hassan, S., Jia, N., & Morris, R.(2013). Entrepreneurial ecosystems around the globe and company growth dynamics. Paper presented at the World Economic Forum.
  17. Gobble, M. M.(2014). Charting the innovation ecosystem, Research-Technology Management, 57(4), 55-59.
  18. Haines, T.(2016). Developing a startup and innovation ecosystem in regional Australia, Technology Innovation Management Review, 6(6), 24-32. https://doi.org/10.22215/timreview994
  19. Haltiwanger, J., Jarmin, R. S., & Miranda, J.(2013). Who creates jobs? Small versus large versus young, Review of Economics and Statistics, 95(2), 347-361. https://doi.org/10.1162/REST_a_00288
  20. Hechavarria, D. M., & Ingram, A.(2014). A review of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and the entrepreneurial society in the United States: An exploration with the global entrepreneurship monitor dataset, Journal of Business & Entrepreneurship, 26(1), 1-35.
  21. Hemmert, M., Cheng, Y., Kohlbacher, F., Kotosaka, M., Loh, C.-T., & Waldenberger, F.(2016). High-tech Startup Ecosystems in East Asian Agglomerations: Are They Different from the West, Tokyo: German Institute of Japanese Studies, 1-39.
  22. Herrmann, B. L., Gauthier, J.-F., Holtschke, D., Berman, R., & Marmer, M.(2015). The global startup ecosystem ranking 2015, https://startup-ecosystem. compass.co/ser2015/, retrieved March, 28, 2016.
  23. Isenberg, D. J.(2010). How to start an entrepreneurial revolution. Harvard Business Review, 88(6), 40-50.
  24. Isenberg, D.(2011). The entrepreneurship ecosystem strategy as a new paradigm for economic policy: Principles for cultivating entrepreneurship, Presentation at the Institute of International and European Affair, 1-13.
  25. Iansiti, M, Levien R.(2004). Strategy as ecology. Harvard Business Review, 82(3), 68-79.
  26. Jeon, H. J. & Park, J. W.(2015). A Study on Changes of Entrepreneurial Ecosystem on Women Entrepreneurial Intentions, Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship, 10(2), 85-96. https://doi.org/10.16972/APJBVE.10.2.201504.85
  27. Kanze, D., Huang, L., Conley, M. A., & Higgins, E. T.(2018). We Ask Men to Win and Women Not to Lose: Closing the Gender Gap in Startup Funding, Academy of Management Journal, 61(2), 586-614. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2016.1215
  28. Kilduff, M., & Tsai, W.(2003). Social networks and organizations: Sage.
  29. Kim, J. S., Choi, J. I., Lim, C. J., Ko, H. J., & Lee, Y. J.(2016). Technology Entrepreneurship(Revised Edition), Korea: Top Books Press.
  30. Kim, K. C. & Enriquez J. L.(2015). Healthiness of Business Ecosystems: A Comparison of Korea, Germany, and Japan, The Journal of Small Business Innovation, 18(2), 59-73.
  31. Kim, S. W.(2017). Globalization Strategy and Tasks of Korean Entrepreneurship Ecosystem, Entrepreneurship Korea, 6, 9-11.
  32. Kong, H. W.(2018). The Relationship between Entrepreneurial Experience and Entrepreneurship Education and Entrepreneurial Intention: Mediating Effect of Gender and Social Protection, Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship, 13(6), 129-141. https://doi.org/10.16972/APJBVE.13.6.201812.129
  33. Kuckertz, A., Berger, E., & Allmendinger, M.(2015). What drives entrepreneurship? A configurational analysis of the determinants of entrepreneurship in innovation-driven economies, Business Administration Review, 75(4), 273-288.
  34. Lee, M., Lee, M., & Kim, J.(2017). A Dynamic Approach to the Start-up Business Ecosystem: A Cross-comparision of Korea, China, and Japan, Asian Academy of Management Journal, 22(2).
  35. Moore, J. F.(1993). Predators and prey: a new ecology of competition, Harvard Business Review, 71(3), 75-86.
  36. Motoyama, Y., & Watkins, K.(2014). Examining the connections within the start-up ecosystem: A case study of St. Louis. Kauffman Foundation Research Series on City, Metro, and Regional Entrepreneurship.
  37. Naguib, R., & Jamali, D.(2015). Female entrepreneurship in the UAE: a multi-level integrative lens, Gender in Management: An International Journal, 30(2), 135-161. https://doi.org/10.1108/GM-12-2013-0142
  38. Schumpeter, J. A.(1934). Change and the Entrepreneur, Essays of JA Schumpeter.
  39. Shane, S., & Venkataraman, S.(2000). The promise of entrepreneurship as a field of research, Academy of Management Review, 25(1), 217-226. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2000.2791611
  40. Spilling, O. R.(1996). The entrepreneurial system: On entrepreneurship in the context of a mega-event. Journal of Business Research, 36(1), 91-103. https://doi.org/10.1016/0148-2963(95)00166-2
  41. Startup Genome(2015). Startup Ecosystem Report 2015. San Francisco, CA: Startup Genome.
  42. Stam, E.(2015). Entrepreneurial ecosystems and regional policy: a sympathetic critique. European Planning Studies, 23(9), 1759-1769. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2015.1061484
  43. Thebaud, S.(2015). Business as plan B: Institutional foundations of gender inequality in entrepreneurship across 24 industrialized countries, Administrative Science Quarterly, 60(4), 671-711. https://doi.org/10.1177/0001839215591627
  44. Van de Ven, H.(1993). The development of an infrastructure for entrepreneurship. Journal of Business Venturing, 8(3), 211-230. https://doi.org/10.1016/0883-9026(93)90028-4
  45. World Economic Forum(2013) Entrepreneurial Ecosystems around the Globe and Company Growth Dynamics. Davos: World Economic Forum.
  46. Zahra, S. A.(2007). Contextualizing theory building in entrepreneurship research, Journal of Business Venturing, 22(3), 443-452. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2006.04.007