Corporate incubators as knowledge brokers between business units and ventures

Abstract

Purpose Through digitization and globalization, corporate incubators have gained new relevance as tool to foster innovation within established companies. Although many studies address business incubators in general, the specifics of corporate incubators are often neglected in the literature. The paper aims to discuss this issue. Design/methodology/approach The author systematically reviewed academic articles regarding corporate incubation, published in peer-reviewed journals. In the course of a subsequent analysis, open questions for further research were identified and addressed. Findings Corporate incubators differ significantly from business incubators. Based on an analysis of 45 academic papers, the main features of corporate incubators have been identified and addressed. Originality/value The present work suggests that it is one of the first that systematically analyze the literature on corporate incubation. Based on the literature review, a holistic framework was constructed that highlights the different elements of corporate incubation and also considers the incubator as knowledge broker between business units and ventures.