An investigation into success criteria for technology-based start-ups: A developing country perspective

It is widely recognized that entrepreneurial activity drives economic growth and job creation. For this reason, small business development has been linked to economic growth, the creation of employment, and the alleviation of poverty. Previous research shows that a typical technology-based start-up faces many challenges through the uncertainty, risk and opportunity continuum as the new business ventures to establish market presence. This paper explores factors that influence technology based start-ups, and focuses on success criteria for such new businesses. The study described here involved quantitative and qualitative engagement with entrepreneurs active in the process of commercializing technology through new business ventures in a developing country context. Interestingly, none of the respondents indicated that the technology itself was a success criterion, more or less confirming evidence gleaned from extant literature.