1. Intelectual Capital Protection Within Pitch Events of Startups.
- Author
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Šnircová, Jana, Petráš, Rastislav, and Mrva, Miloš
- Subjects
INTELLECTUAL capital ,VENTURE capital ,BUSINESS ethics ,KNOWLEDGE management ,FINANCIAL performance - Abstract
The aim of this paper is to examine the topic of intelectual capital protection during pitch events. Pitch events are events where representatives, usually founders, of young innovative companies, which are well known as startups at these days, present their idea or product in front of the audience consisting mostly of investors, journalists and people from other startups. The main purpose of these presentations is to find investors who would provide venture capital for financing of pitching companies. Startups in order to attract investors describe their product, its features, solutions it provides to its customers. These products are supposed to be innovative and presenting enterpreneurs should proove its potential. But there appears an issue how to convince investors that the product or the idea is sufficiently innovative in front of hundreds of people and do not risk that somebody from the audience would use this idea on his behalf. Because of their nature, it is not always possible to patent these ideas. Moreover these startups are often in the earliest stage and they have been dealing yet with this topic or their knowledge of intelectual capital protection is often very low at this stage. For examining this issue, we have executed qualitative research based on semi-structured interviews. Respondents were representatives of different groups from experts on intelectual capital, through pitch event organizers, emloyees of various institutions supporting entrepreneures (e.g. incubators) to participants who have already pitched or are going to pitch in near future their business ideas. The research was held in September 2013. Secondary analysis of literature was also selected as one of the research methods. Startup founders and pitch event organizers can find in this paper answers for questions: what are possible options for increasing the level of protection of the idea at pitch event, whether organizer can increase the protection of pitched ideas and whether pitching enterpreneurs consider the risk of presenting their ideas in front of the audience and how they try protect them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014