Asymmetric technological collaboration between startups and large companies: challenges in the Iranian nanotechnology sector

This paper aims to identify the asymmetric technological collaboration challenges between large companies and startups in the context of developing countries and suggest policy implication to improve the collaboration ecosystem. To this end, the Iranian nanotechnology sector was selected as a case study and analyzed using a qualitative approach. Challenges were identified through in-depth interviews with actors involved in asymmetric technological collaborations and then screened and analyzed through thematic analysis. We validated our findings through three panel discussions and then categorized the challenges into three distinct groups, including; interorganizational, relational and environmental challenges. The findings indicate that the challenges of asymmetric collaborations in developing countries- especially those with state-dominated innovation system- differ somewhat from those in developed countries. Moreover, most of the collaboration challenges in developing countries appear before starting collaborations and are mainly environmental factors. Therefore, it is necessary to establish institutional and cultural infrastructure to facilitate collaboration and encourage partnerships. A negative public attitude toward large companies, the deficiency of technology valuation systems, and the inappropriate business environment for asymmetric collaborations are among the identified challenges in the present study.