The geography of design startups

Abstract

In recent years, startups have started to attract the attention of different actors in the socio-economic and political contexts, thanks to the potential advantages that these new ventures can offer. The attention of the majority of these actors is principally focused on high-tech startups, because they are the most known especially in the collective consciousness. However, recently, thanks to an improved attention of scholars on manufacturing and handcrafted works, other types of startups have started to obtain increasing importance: manufacturing and design startups. In particular this dissertation will be focused on design startups, because they may represent an element of growth and innovation in the design sector. Moreover, the main aim of the dissertation is to determine how the development of design startups is influenced by the presence of endowments, typical of a place. This purpose will be combined with the analysis of four design startups, two Italians and two Americans, in order to understand how the same “type” of startups can be developed in different places, as Italian industrial districts and New York City. Moreover, I will try to find what are the specific locational factors, which help in the establishment of design startups in these two diverse places, trying to understand if these factors could represent the starting point to face a future growth and national and international competition.