Integrated technology roadmapping in startups: a case study of an AgTech in the Cachaça industry

ABSTRACT

Companies develop strategies to describe where they want to go and how they will reach their destination. Business strategies are useful but may not be sufficiently detailed for areas of high importance, such as technology and innovation. In this paper we examined the effort of building a technology roadmap with an early growth stage company located in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Roadmaps are easy to design yet flexible tools that can allow decision makers to explore a myriad of possible strategies. However, the challenges ahead for new companies facing uncertain growth scenarios demand that framework conditions be adequately addressed, and that innovation culture and technology management tools are integrated with the technology roadmapping strategy. Based on the empirical evidence collected from the startup studied, along with the literature and interviews with key stakeholders, this paper developed a pathway to support technology and innovation plans for startups going through similar growth stages and provides directions for future research in the area, given the scarcity of evidence available of new high-tech companies' efforts in planning and developing new products.(AU)