Startup partnerships for digital transformation in container shipping and logistics

This study examines how incumbents structure partnerships with startup firms during digital transformation. Research on corporate–startup collaboration has paid limited attention to the temporal structuring of value across partnership phases. To examine this gap, we draw on a multiple-case analysis of startup partnership programs initiated by Maersk, CMA CGM, Kuehne + Nagel, and DB Schenker. We develop a framework of four building blocks that link value phases to temporal considerations to explain how partnerships are structured and evolve over time. The first two building blocks emphasize conceptualization and empirical verification. We show how the value proposition is shaped by fixed temporal milestones, and how value delivery unfolds incrementally through activity-based segmentation and geographic footprint. The next two building blocks extend the framework through conceptualization and empirical illustration. We illustrate how incumbents adapt value through dynamic financial involvement, either through “option creation” (ad hoc paths) or “option exercise” (targeted paths), and how value capture reflects cyclical scenarios that may prompt firms to renew their startup engagement strategies. Our findings contribute to a process-oriented understanding of the temporal dynamics of value creation in corporate–startup partnerships and offer practical insights for incumbents seeking to structure and sustain such collaborations.