RISK PREFERENCES OF LEAN STARTUPS IN INTERNATIONAL MARKET ENTRY: THE MODERATOR EFFECT OF CLUSTER RESOURCES

Öz

The aim of this research is to investigate the tendency of lean startups established in Technology Development Zones to prefer countries with high technological and market uncertainty in the international market entry process and the moderating effect of cluster resources provided by Technology Development Zones on this relationship. The unit of analysis of the study is organizations. In this context, the data obtained through questionnaires from 120 start-up firms operating in a total of 10 different Technology Development Zones established in Ankara, Istanbul, Izmir, Bursa and Kocaeli, the five largest cities of Turkey, were tested with Structural Equation Modeling. While the findings indicate a positive and significant relationship between lean enterprise and uncertainty levels, no significant results were obtained regarding the moderating relationship, which constitutes the main contribution of the study. While the evidences show a positive and significant relationship between lean practices and the tendency to prefer risky country markets in entering the international market, no significant results were obtained regarding the moderator relationship, which constitutes the main contribution of the study. These results show that technology development zones do not serve their founding purposes.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Lean Startup
• Market Uncertainty
• Technological Uncertainty
• Clustering
• Cluster Resources

Destekleyen Kurum

TUBITAK

Proje Numarası

TUBITAK 3005_SOBAG 323K043

Teşekkür

This study is derived from the doctoral thesis " Lean Enterprise Strategies and Host Country Uncertainty in Start-up Firms: The Moderating Effect of Cluster Resources " prepared within the scope of the 1001 project managed by Professor Tulay Ilhan Nas and numbered SOBAG-323K043 supported by TUBİTAK. We would like to thank TUBITAK for their support.

ULUSLARARASI PAZARLARA GİRİŞTE YALIN START-UP FİRMALARIN RİSK TERCİHLERİ: KÜME KAYNAKLARININ DÜZENLEYİCİ ETKİSİ

Öz

Bu çalışmanın amacı, Teknoloji Geliştirme Bölgelerinde kurulan yalın girişimlerin, uluslararası pazarlara giriş süreçlerinde teknolojik ve pazar belirsizliği yüksek ülkeleri tercih etme eğilimini ve Teknoloji Geliştirme Bölgeleri'nin sağladığı kümelenme kaynaklarının bu ilişki üzerindeki düzenleyici etkisini incelemektir. Çalışmanın analiz birimini örgütler oluşturmaktadır. Bu bağlamda Türkiye'nin beş büyük ili olan Ankara, İstanbul, İzmir, Bursa ve Kocaeli'nde kurulan toplam 10 farklı Teknoloji Geliştirme Bölgesinde faaliyet gösteren 120 start-up firmasından soru kağıdı aracılığıyla elde edilen veriler Yapısal Eşitlik Modellemesi ile test edilmiştir. Bulgular genel olarak değerlendirildiğinde, yalın uygulamalar ile uluslararası pazarlara girişte riskli ülke pazarlarını tercih etme eğilimi arasında olumlu ve anlamlı bir ilişki olduğunu gösterirken, düzenleyici ilişkiye ilişkin anlamlı bir sonuca ulaşılamamıştır. Diğer bir ifadeyle, Teknoloji Geliştirme Bölgelerinin kuruluş amaçlarına hizmet etmediklerini göstermektedir

Anahtar Kelimeler

• YALIN START-UP FİRMALAR
• PAZAR BELİRSİZLİĞİ
• TEKNOLOJİ BELİRSİZLİĞİ
• KÜME KAYNAKLARI

Proje Numarası

TUBITAK 3005_SOBAG 323K043

Kaynakça

1. Aktepe, C., & Karslı, F. (2020). Türk İhracatçılarının Uluslararası Rekabetinin Geliştirilmesi Kapsamında Kümelenme Yaklaşımının İhracatçı İşletmelerin Rekabet Performansına Etkisi: Çorum İlinde Bir Uygulama. Üçüncü Sektör Sosyal Ekonomi Dergisi, 55(1): 211- 235.
2. Amaral, M. G., da Hora, A. L. F., & Schocair, M. M. (2023). Assessment of Science, Technology and Innovation Parks Based on Helices Actors Linkages. International Journal of Innovation Science, 15(2), 347-367.
3. Andersson, S., Evers, N. & Griot, C. (2013). Local and International Networks in Small Firm Internationalization: Cases from the Rhône- Alpes Medical Technology Regional Cluster, Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 25(9-10), 867-888.
4. Aydemir, B., & Soydaş, M. E. (2014). Denizli İli Turizm Kümelenme Potansiyeli. Pamukkale Journal of Eurasian Socioeconomic Studies, 1(2): 13-26. Barney, J. (1991), “Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage”, Journal of Management, 17 (1), 99–120.
5. Bortolini, R. F., Nogueira Cortimiglia, M., Danilevicz, A. D. M. F., & Ghezzi, A. (2021). Lean Startup: A Comprehensive Historical Review. Management Decision, 59(8), 1765-1783.
6. Bstieler, L. (2005). The Moderating Effect of Environmental Uncertainty on New Product Development and Time Efficiency. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 22(3), 267-284.
7. Carloni, E. (2022). Formal Clusters Supporting Small Firms’ Internationalization: A Case of Public– Private Interaction. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 37(13), 77-93.
8. Cavallo A., Ghezzi A., & Ruales Guzmán BV (2020), “Driving Internationalization Through Business Model innovation: Evidences from an AgTech company”. Multinational Business Review, 28(2), 201– 220.

9. Cavusgil, S. T., & Knight, G. (2015). The Born Global Firm: An Entrepreneurial and Capabilities Perspective on Early and Rapid Internationalization. Journal of International Business Studies, 46, 3-16.
10. Cohen, W. M., & Levinthal, D. A. (1990). Absorptive Capacity: A New Perspective on Learning and Innovation. Administrative Science Quarterly, 35(1), 128-152.
11. Colovic, A., & Lamotte, O. (2014). The Role of Formal Industry Clusters in the Internationalization of New Ventures. European Business Review, 26(5), 449-470.
12. Contigiani, A., & Levinthal, D. A. (2019). Situating the Construct of Lean Start-up: Adjacent Conversations and Possible Future Directions. Industrial and Corporate Change, 28(3), 551-564.
13. Cook, D. A., Bikkani, A., & Poterucha Carter, M. J. (2023). “Evaluating Education Innovations Rapidly with Build-Measure-Learn: Applying Lean Startup to Health Professions Education”. Medical Teacher, 45(2), 167-178.
14. Eisenhardt, K. M., & Martin, J. A. (2000). Dynamic Capabilities: What are They?. Strategic Management Journal, 21(10‐11), 1105-1121.
15. Eisenmann, T. R., Ries, E., & Dillard, S. (2011), “Hypothesis- Driven Entrepreneurship: the Lean Startup”. Harvard Business School Background Note, 812-095, 1-23.
16. Elango, B., & Pattnaik, C. (2007). Building Capabilities for International Operations Through Networks: A Study of Indian Firms. Journal of International Business Studies, 38, 541-555
17. Ertemel, A.V. (2016), “Teknoloji Girişimi Süreç Yönetiminde Yeni Bir Yaklaşım: Yalın Girişim Metodolojisinin İncelenmesi”. İstanbul Ticaret Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 15(29), 119-133.
18. Fensterseifer, J. E. (2007). The Emerging Brazilian Wine Industry: Challenges and Prospects for the Serra Gaúcha Wine Cluster. International Journal of Wine Business Research, 19(3), 187.
19. Fensterseifer, J. E., & Rastoin, J. L. (2010, January). Wine Cluster Strategic Resources, Firm Value Creation and Competitive Advantage. In 5th International Academy of Wine Business Research Conference, 1-9.
20. Franke, T. K., Oguji, N., & Bhatti, W. A. (2025). Digital Maturity as Startup Internationalization Process Enabler. Critical Perspectives on International Business, 1-33.
21. Furr, N. & Dyer, J. (2014), The Innovator’s Method: Bringing the Lean Start-up Into Your Organization. Harvard Business Review Press, Boston, MA.
22. GEM (2022). Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Report. Retrieved April 1, 2026, from https://www. gemconsortium.org/file/open?fileId=50900,
23. Ghezzi, A. (2019). Digital Startups and the Adoption and Implementation of Lean Startup Approaches: Effectuation, Bricolage and Opportunity Creation in practice. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 146, 945-960.
24. Ghezzi, A., & Cavallo, A. (2020). Agile Business Model İnnovation in Digital Entrepreneurship: Lean Startup Approaches. Journal of Business Research, 110, 519- 537.
25. Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
26. Harms, R., & Schwery, M. (2020). Lean Startup: Operationalizing Lean Startup Capability and Testing its Performance Implications. Journal of Small Business Management, 58(1), 200-223.
27. Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015), “A New Criterion for Assessing Discriminant Validity in Variance-Based Structural Equation Modelling”. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43, 115- 135.
28. Hervás-Oliver, J.L., & Albors-Garrigós, J. (2007). Do Clusters Capabilities Matter? An Empirical Application of The Resource-Based View in Clusters. Entrepreneurship and Regional Development, 19(2): 113-136.
29. Jalonen, H. & Lehtonen, A. (2011). Uncertainty in the Innovation Process. 6th European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship: ECIE2011. 15-16 September, Scotland, UK.
30. Kogut, B., & Singh H., (1988). “The Effect of National Culture on The Choice of Entry Mode”, Journal of International Business Studies, 19(Fall): 411-430.
31. Kowalski, A. M. (2014). The Role of Innovative Clusters in the Process of Internationalization of Firms. Journal of Economics, Business and Management, 2(3), 181-185.
32. Kubaş, A. & Özmen, N. B. (2020), “Girişimcilik ve Teknopark”, Balkan and Near Eastern Journal of Social Sciences, 6(4), 104-109.
33. Kudina, A., Yip, G. S., & Barkema, H. G. (2008). Born Global. Business Strategy Review, 19(4), 38-44. Kumar, M., Pullman, M., Bouzdine-Chameeva, T., &
34. Sanchez Rodrigues, V. (2022). The Role of the Hub-firm in Developing Innovation Capabilities: Considering the French Wine Industry Cluster from a Resource Orchestration Lens. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, 42(4), 526-551.
35. Lecluyse, L., Knockaert, M., & Spithoven, A. (2019). The Contribution of Science Parks: A Literature Review and Future Research Agenda. The Journal of Technology Transfer, 44(2), 559-595.
36. Mahmud, M. (2021), Lean Internationalization of High- Tech Startups. Published Master’s Thesis: University of Twente.
37. Mendes T, Braga, V., & Silva C (2024), “One for all, All for one: An Analysis Towards the Speed of Internationalization in Clustered and Non-Clustered Family Firms”. Journal of Family Business Management, Vol. 14 No. 1 pp. 120–152.
38. Mohammadi N, Jarrar H, Sabet M, Salloum C., & Soghi M (2026;), “People, Places and Pathways: Prioritizing Internationalization Risks for Start-ups in Developing Communities”. Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, Vol. ahead- of-print No. ahead-of-print.
39. Moogk, D.R. (2012), “Minimum Viable Product and the Importance of Experimentation in Technology Startups”, Technology Innovation Management Review, 2(3), 23-26.
40. ODTÜ Teknokent. (n.d.). Technoparks in Turkey. Retrieved January 21, 2026, from https://odtuteknokent.com. tr/en/information/technoparks-in-turkey.php?utm.
41. Ott, T. E., Eisenhardt, K. M., & Bingham, C. B. (2017). Strategy Formation in Entrepreneurial Settings: Past Insights and Future Directions. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 11(3), 306-325.
42. Peterson, R. A., & Kim, Y. (2013), “On the Relationship Between Coefficient Alpha and Composite Reliability”, Journal of Applied Psychology, 98(1), 194- 198.
43. Porter, M. E. (1998). Clusters and the New Economics of Competition (Vol. 76, No
44. Presidency Republic of Türkiye Investment Office. (2024). The State of Turkish Startup Ecosystem. Retrieved October 1, 2025, from https: //www.invest.gov.tr/.
45. Puk, A., Torgayev, A., & Vodopian, E. (2025). Beyond Borders: How Kazakh Tech Startups Initiated Their Global Journeys.
46. Republic of Türkiye. (2001). Law No. 4691 on Technology Development Zones.
47. Ries, E. (2011), The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses, New York: Crown Business.
48. Sayın, M. & Sayın, E. (2013). Girişimcilik ve İnovasyon’un Küme Oluşumunda Önemi ve Devlet Yardımlarının Etkisi. Karabük Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 3(1), 86-94.
49. Schwery, M. P. (2018), Lean Startup Orientation: Empirical Evidence on Venture Success. Puhlished Master’s Thesis: University of Twente-MSc Business Administration. Serrano, R., Dejo‐Oricain, N., Ferrer, J., Pinilla, V., Abella‐
50. Garcés, S., & Maza, M. T. (2023). Domestic Clustered Networks and Internationalization of Agrifood SMEs. Agribusiness, 39(1), 167-195.
51. Sevim, N. Hall, E. E., & Uzun, M. (2019), “Yalın Girişimlerde Yeni Ürün Geliştirme Süreci: Akıllı Ev Güvenlik Sistemleri Üzerine Bir Uygulama”, Anadolu Üniversitesi İşletme Fakültesi Dergisi, 1(1), 65- 93.
52. Sirmon, D. G., Hitt, M. A., & Ireland, R. D. (2007). Managing Firm Resources in Dynamic Environments to Create Value: Looking Inside the Black Box. Academy of Management Review, 32(1), 273–292.
53. Skala, A. (2019). Digital Startups In Transition Economies: Challenges For Management, Entrepreneurship and Education. Palgrave Macmillan.
54. Stensaker, H.H. (2010), Internationalization of an Entrepreneurial Start-up A case study of Spider Cloud Wireless Inc, Copenhagen Business School, Master Thesis.
55. Tandiarak, A. (2025). Critical Analysis of Jeff Bezos’s Two- Pizza Team Concept and Rapid Experimentation Approach at Amazon and Their Relevance to the Development of Innovation-Based Modern Organizational Strategy. Available at SSRN 5994974.
56. Teece, D. J. (2007). Explicating Dynamic Capabilities: The Nature and Microfoundations of (Sustainable) Enterprise Performance. Strategic Management Journal, 28(13), 1319-1350.
57. Tekin, E. (2021). “Türkiye’de Start-up Ekosistemi Üzerine Bir Değerlendirme”. Econder International Academic Journal, 5(1), 33-48.
58. Teknoloji Geliştirme Bölgeleri, https: //teknopark.sanayi. gov.tr (01.02.2024).
59. Thanapongporn, A., Ratananopdonsakul, R., & Chanpord, W. (2021). Key Success Factors and Framework of Fundraising for Early-stage Startups in Thailand. Academy of Strategic Management Journal, 20, 1-16.
60. UNCTAD, 2025. Strengthening Science, Technology and Innovation Parks for Industrial Development Through Clustering. Access Link : https://unctad.org/ publication/strengthening-science-technology-and- innovation-parks-industrial-development-through, Access Date: 20.01.2026.
61. Viedma, J.M. (2004). Social Capital Benchmarking System: Profiting from Social Capital When Building Network Organizations. Journal of Intellectual Capital, 5(3): 426-442.
62. Wang F, Su Q, Zhang Z (2024), “The Influence of Collaborative Innovation Network Characteristics on Firm Innovation Performance from the Perspective of Innovation Ecosystem”. Kybernetes, 53(4), 1281–1305.
63. Wudu, A., Singh, K., & Kassahun, S. (2024). Industry Clusters and Firm Performance: Evidence from the Leather Product Industry in Addis Ababa. Heliyon, 10(20).
64. Yadav, N., Swami, S., & Pal, P. (2006). High Technology Marketing: Conceptualization and Case Study. Vikalpa, 31(2), 57-74.
65. Yiğit, S. (2012), Kümelerin İnovasyon Kapasitesinin Kaynak Tabanlı Görüş Çerçevesinde İncelenmesi, Yayınlanmış Doktora Tezi, Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa Üniversitesi - Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü.
66. Zen, A. C., Fensterseifer, J. E. & Prévot, F. (2011). Internationalization of Clustered Companies and the Influence of Resources: A Case Study on Wine Clusters in Brazil and France. Latin American Business Review, 12(2), 123-141.