The role of cooperation and technological orientation on startups' innovativeness: An analysis based on the microfoundations of innovation

Using the perspective of microfoundations, this article discusses the role that cooperation and technological orientation play on innovativeness. We place special emphasis on the effect of these factors on other internal factors that influence startups' innovativeness. The quantitative study was conducted based on the analysis of a large-sample data set gathered by a German startup innovation survey. Our results reveal the central role of cooperation and technological orientation, which can compensate for lower levels of other microfoundations or enhance the effect of some microfoundations when these are at higher levels. Results supported by a weighted least square regression also confirm and quantify the positive effect of entrepreneurial leadership, team size, team motivation, agility, cooperation, technological orientation, and sustainability orientation on startup innovativeness. Furthermore, our study offers an analysis of the pandemic's influence on the microfoundations of innovativeness. Our findings focused on internal factors that can be managed by startups and provide subsidies to help startups define business strategies that favor innovativeness.