Measuring Scaling-Up Awareness among Incubator Mentees

The technology students in India are upbeat about the innovative environment in theirinstitutions while government wholeheartedly supports their entrepreneurship zeal in hope of supporttowards the gaping demand-supply mismatch, in job availability. The present work intends to explorethe naivety of technical innovators towards entrepreneurial challenges after a successful start. Design/methodology/approach: The awareness of scaling-up challenges among fresh applicantsseeking tenancy at these incubation centres, is an important parameter of knowledge for mentors ofincubation centres in academic institutions. This could be a roadblock in a nation's plans to growprivate organisations and generate jobs. Data from 40 such applicants to incubation programs atIndian Institute of Technology, Delhi, were collected in 2018, to carry out a pilot study towardsexploration of naivety of technical patent holders regarding entrepreneurial careers. The work useda battery of self-generated statements about scaling-up of successful start-ups, addressed to applicantsof a technological incubator. Findings: The pilot study has thrown back three factors which have been named as ‘FutureReadiness', ‘Early Stage recklessness' and ‘Zeal for Growth'. The clubbing does point to researchedthemes like; (1) financial recklessness at initial stage of ideation by offering partnership in exchangeof meagre investments. (2) too much of individualism in decision making. Research/practical implications: The work has been carried out with a clear aim to generate a toolfor mentors at business incubators of academic institutions, which can assist the mentors in assessingthe need for scaling-up readiness right at start-up stage. The factors, once finalised, can be used fora pre-post analysis of the mentorship programs, with respect to the effectiveness of the scaling-upinformation disseminated during the mentorship program. Originality/value: The challenges of scaling-up the initial success of new business are distinctlydifferent from those faced by start-ups. Literature has reported many tools to assess the mentoringneeds of start-ups. The present attempt is aimed at facilitating the mentee readiness about the scaling-up needs, likely to come their way.