The master thesis “Success Factors of Corporate Company Building in Energy Utilities” addresses corporate company building as a new approach to corporate entrepreneurship, specifically in the energy supply industry. Here is the abstract:

The thesis answers two research questions: How does corporate company building differ from other approaches such as corporate venture capital, accelerators, and incubators? What are the success factors of company building? Grounded theory is applied as a scientific methodology, with data collected from a systematic academic and grey literature review and twelve expert interviews. The findings of the first research question show that corporate company building has a stronger strategic fit, a more long-term time horizon, and a higher financial risk for the company. In addition, startups are still being formed and there is a higher dependency of the startup on the parent company. The findings of the second research question illustrate that factors at three levels need to be considered. At the organizational level of the corporation, eight success factors were identified. At the organizational level of the start-up, six success factors were identified, and at the overarching level, eight success factors were identified. Overall, the work provides a valuable basis for energy utilities to meet future market requirements and to develop innovatively.