THE EMERGENCE OF HEALTH TECHNOLOGY FIRMS THROUGH THEIR SENSEGIVING ACTIVITIES AND COMPETITIVE ACTIONS

Abstract

Few studies have examined the process by which health technology innovators must socially construct their firm and share their ideas with economic and health system actors. To fill this gap, we intended to provide insights into the differences characterising the health technology startup (HTS) among other startups and test a conceptual model by characterising press releases and media coverage emanating from five firms (three HTS and one well-established firm, and one non-health information technology). Using a multiple case study design, with three embedded units of analysis composed of the startups’ sensegiving intentions, its competitive actions and its strategic responses to pressures, we observed marked difference in the use of marketing and symbolic actions as well as recourse to prominent actors. Besides, health startups were the only ones relying on cognition rather than actors’ self-interest or moral judgments. There were also differences depending on the startup status and the number of actors resulting in different response patterns to pressures. The findings are paving the way to further research on innovators and actor’s inner thinking, which may contribute to shaping business development programs targeted specifically for health tech startups, and may help emerging entrepreneurs compare their evolution to health and non-health tech startups.