Startups Role in National Industry 4.0 Implementation

The research explores the current strategic role of startups in the industry 4.0 (i4.0) implementation at national level. The paper aims to determine the representativeness of startups in governmental strategies for i4.0 implementation.Design/methodology/approach: The research reviews strategic governmental documents dedicated to i4.0 implementation. It identifies keywords to determine the startup concept appearance frequency within these documents. The data analysis provides information to argue the governmental strategic importance of startups for i4.0 implementation.Findings: The paper provides insights about the importance of startups within the governmental strategy for i4.0 implementation. The government supports the general development of startups. However, the i4.0 strategic documents lack to contain startups role.Research/practical implications: The paper indicates the importance of startups inclusion in formal strategic government documentation. The paper is reference for future researches at V4 countries and Germany.Originality/value: Startups are important element in the i4.0 development. This paper contributes to identify the formal inclusion of the element in the government strategies.