[Deep Tech] The Impact of Human Capital on Securing Funding for Deep Tech Startups

📌 Key facts

🎯 Objective: Utilizing Deep Tech Dealroom data alongside LinkedIn Founder Human Capital insights to examine the role of Human Capital in overcoming the valley of death

⏱️ When: Start date is flexible! Applications are open!

📥 How to apply: Send us an e-mail (at the end of this page) with your CV and grade report

❗IMPORTANT: Experience in Entrepreneurship or Venture Capital is required

• 📌 Key facts
• 💡 Background
• 🎯 Goals
• 🦾 Who We Are
• 🧠 Topics of Interest
• 🎓 Profile
• 📚 Further Reading
• 📝 How to Apply

💡 Background

Deep Tech is based on high-tech innovation in significant scientific advances (e.g., Artificial Intelligence, Biotechnology, Quantum Computing, and Advanced Materials). Unlike traditional startups, Deep Tech startups require substantial time and capital to bring their technologies to market due to implementation, investment and collaborative risk (Romme, 2022).

Deep Tech startups are exposed to the "valley of death", a period where the startup has developed a prototype and is facing the challenge of commercialization (Ko & McKelvie, 2018). During the "valley of death" substantial capital is required to bridge the gap between initial development and market entry (Colombo & Grilli, 2005).

Human Capital, encompassing the skills, knowledge, and experience of individuals or teams, can be divided into generic and specific components. Generic Human Capital includes general knowledge from education and professional experience, while specific Human Capital involves industry-specific knowledge and prior entrepreneurial experience (Colombo & Grilli, 2005). Founders' Human Capital is vital for securing funding, as higher education levels and relevant industry experience signal competence and reduce investment risks. Complementary skills within the founding team can create synergistic effects, enhancing the startup's growth potential and attractiveness to investors, particularly through a combination of technical and commercial expertise (Dencker & Gruber, 2015).

🎯 Goals

Your task is to analyze a Dealroom dataset of Deep Tech startups and a LinkedIn dataset for Human Capital characteristics, concentrating on the founding teams' attributes and the funding they have secured. You will create a comprehensive evaluation framework to determine how various aspects of Human Capital impact funding success.

🦾 Who We Are

The Chair for Strategy and Organization is focused on research with impact. This means we do not want to repeat old ideas and base our research solely on the research people did 10 years ago. Instead, we currently research topics that will shape the future. Topics include Agile Organizations and Digital Disruption, Blockchain Technology, Creativity and Innovation, Digital Transformation and Business Model Innovation, Diversity, Education: Education Technology and Performance Management, HRTech, Leadership, and Teams. We are always early in noticing trends, technologies, strategies, and organizations that shape the future, which has its ups and downs.

🧠 Topics of Interest

• Deep Tech
• Venture capital and funding
• Entrepreneurial success factors
• Human Capital Theory
• Data validation & Data quality

🎓 Profile

• Your work is super accurate. There is no room for 80/20, thus your academic track record is excellent!
• Reliable, self-driven working style and proactive communication
• Analytical Thinking and Statistical Knowledge
• Interest in Entrepreneurship, Deep Tech and Venture Capital

📚 Further Reading

• Colombo, M. G., & Grilli, L. (2005). Founders’ human capital and the growth of new technology-based firms: A competence-based view. Research Policy, 34(6), 795–816. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2005.03.010
• Gruber, M., Dencker, J. C., & Nikiforou, A. (Iro). (2024). How Founder Human Capital and Founding Conditions Shape New Firm Performance: A Study of Necessity Entrepreneurship during Times of Economic Crisis. Academy of Management Journal, 67(2), 382–406. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2022.0405
• Ko, E.-J., & McKelvie, A. (2018). Signaling for more money: The roles of founders’ human capital and investor prominence in resource acquisition across different stages of firm development. Journal of Business Venturing, 33(4), 438–454. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2018.03.001
• Romme, A. G. L. (2022). Against All Odds: How Eindhoven Emerged as a Deeptech Ecosystem. Systems, 10(4), 119. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems10040119

📝 How to Apply

If you are interested, please contact Jannik Nolden by submitting 1) your desired starting date, 2) CV, 3) grade report and 4) a short motivation letter why you are interested in this topic and how you are a good fit for it.

Jannik Nolden (Chair for Strategy and Organization) 👉 jannik.nolden@tum.de