| Abstract [eng] |
Startups are innovative, technology-based businesses that are characterized by rapid growth, high uncertainty, and a tendency to operate in risky, untested markets. Although startups contribute to economic development, research shows that most of them fail before they even begin to develop their activities. The failure of startups is most often determined not only by finances or the market, but also by poor decision-making and insufficiently developed entrepreneurial skills. In view of this, it is important to analyse how skills change as a startup develops and which training methods are most effective at different stages of development. The aim of this paper is to analyse experiences in developing entrepreneurial skills at different stages of startup development. The object of the work is the experiences of entrepreneurship education in startups. The tasks of the work are: 1. to analyse the concept, characteristics, and stages of development of startups; 2. to present theoretical insights into the development of entrepreneurial skills in startups at different stages of their development; 3. to reveal experiences in developing entrepreneurial skills in startups at different stages of their development. Data collection and analysis methods: analysis of scientific literature, semi-structured interviews, and qualitative content analysis. The results of the study revealed that in practice, it is difficult for startup founders to distinguish between the stages of development and maturity, so these stages often overlap and were combined into a late stage. The early stage was characterized by the entrepreneur's personal abilities and qualities – creativity, courage to act, curiosity, and independence. Management skills – assessment of opportunities and the market. The beginnings of social skills are also formed at this stage. Skills are developed through experimentation, trial and error. In the growth stage, social skills such as maintaining relationships and assigning tasks become dominant. The process of developing skills is supplemented by mentoring, self-development, and learning environments (hackathons, accelerators). At this stage, experiential learning remains dominant. In the late stage, the entrepreneur becomes a leader, so leadership skills and resource organization dominate. Skill development takes place through reflection and the transfer of experience to the team. Theoretically modelled entrepreneurial skills are essentially confirmed in practice, but their expression is not limited to the stages of development. Empirical data also revealed that personal qualities such as courage, curiosity, initiative, and others have a significant impact on the development of skills at different stages of a start-up's development. |
