Science of Startups Initiative

Startups

Startups turn technologies, talent and capital into products, organisations and new forms of work. This research stream studies how startups emerge, grow and shape innovation ecosystems.

We examine startups as complex systems of founders, teams, investors, technologies and institutions. Using large-scale digital trace data, natural language processing and network science, we analyse what makes startups different, how founding teams form and succeed, how venture capital flows, and how market structures affect entrepreneurial opportunities.

By linking founder characteristics, firm data, investment patterns and ecosystem dynamics, we aim to understand why some startups succeed while others do not. Our work helps reveal where entrepreneurial potential appears, how innovation ecosystems develop, and which conditions allow new firms to turn ideas into successful businesses.

Goals

Understand how founders, teams and ecosystems shape startup success.
Identify leverage points in building successful startup ecosystems.
Analyse how markets, investors and institutional support affect startup growth.

Construction of a Startup Ecosystem Fingerprint

Researchers

Fabian Braesemann

Principal Investigator

Dr Fabian Braesemann is a Departmental Research Lecturer in AI & Work at the OII.

Paul Povel

Research Assistant

Paul is a research assistant in business informatics, focused on data analytics, programming, and social theory. He explores the intersection of technology, society, and economic behaviour.

Klara Kosar

Research Assistant

Klara Kosar is a research assistant at the OII and part of the Science of Startups Initiative.

Franziskus Schorr

Visiting Research Student

Franziskus brings experience in venture capital and startups. His academic focus lies in startup financing, founding teams, and innovations based on scientific research.

Makda Delelegne

MSc Student

Makda is passionate about how digital technology impacts emerging economies, particularly those with large youth populations.

Jennifer Gossen

Alumna, Former MSc Student

Jennifer researches venture capital, AI in finance, and biases in capital distribution, with experience across consulting and VC.

Viktoria Leins

Alumna, Former MSc Student

Viktoria was an MSc student in Social Data Science at the OII and holds a BSc in Economics and Econometrics from the University of Bristol.

Florian Radlmeier

Alumnus, Former Visiting Research Student

Florian researches how digital technologies shape organisations in the context of startup support institutions.

Tom Rentschler

Alumnus, Former MSc Student

Tom specializes in the field of technology economics. With a background in technology investing at a venture capital fund, investigating the influence technologies such as generative AI on our economy

Anne Roellgen

Alumna, Former MSc Student

Anne gained experience in data research, financial markets, and venture capital. She focuses on the impact of AI on economies and business models, and cybersecurity technologies and regulations.

Publications

The impact of founder personalities on startup success

By Paul McCarthy, Xian Gong, Fabian Braesemann, Fabian Stephany, Marian-Andrei Rizoiu and Margaret Kern

Why some startups succeed more than others can be explained with founders’ personality traits and the diversity of personalities within the founding team.

Startups

Killers on the Road of Emerging Start-Ups – Implications for Market Entry and Venture Capital Financing

By Heli Koski, Otto Kässi and Fabian Braesemann

Large tech companies can reduce innovation by creating “kill zones” that discourage new market entry and venture capital investment in related markets.

Startups