In the rapidly evolving landscape of North African economies, innovation strategies are rarely static choices but rather dynamic processes of adaptation to environmental constraints. This paper investigates the evolutionary trajectory of innovation strategies within the Moroccan startup ecosystem, specifically focusing on the AgriTech sector facing severe climatic and economic pressures. Drawing on the evolutionary theory of the firm and extending Tidd and Bessant’s "4Ps of Innovation" framework (Product, Process, Position, Paradigm), we conducted a longitudinal qualitative study of 15 startups between 2019 and 2024. Our findings challenge the conventional view of innovation as a linear progression. Instead, results reveal a "Frugal Evolutionary Cycle" where successful ventures shift from complex product-centric innovation (Phase 1) to process digitalization and frugality (Phase 2), and ultimately to radical paradigm shifts (Phase 3) to break path dependence. This study contributes to the literature on dynamic capabilities in emerging markets by proposing a stage-gate model of entrepreneurial adaptation, highlighting how resource scarcity acts as a selection mechanism that reshapes organizational routines over time.
Bouya et al. (Mon,) studied this question.