Triple Helix and the evolution of ecosystems of innovation: the case of Silicon Valley

Abstract

Silicon Valley's innovation ecosystem has evolved in the last decade. In this study we aim to understand how and why Silicon Valley evolves by identifying changes on the role played by the Triple Helix Agents. We also aim at identifying if changes in one of the agents trigger evolution of the others. Taking the startup as the unit of analysis and applying a multiple case-study approach, the results are analyzed on the bases of the Triple Helix Model and interpreted in the light of the periods of development of an entrepreneurial venture. Our findings suggest that the role of the Triple Helix agents evolves over time and therefore, so does an innovative ecosystem. Main changes refer to the (1) rise of accelerator programs as a new player in the ecosystem; (2) an early engagement of corporations with startups; (3) the geographical expansion of Silicon Valley, now including San Francisco; (4) an increasing commitment of universities with capital funds; and (5) the rise of micromultinationals due to talent shortage and fierce competition in the area.

A Divergent Research Agenda: Academic and Professional Publications on Science, Technology and Innovation Parks

“…2.2 Evolution The stips movement dates back to the 1950s. The first initiatives appeared in the usa, initially at Stanford University (Pique et al 2018). In this decade, Silicon Valley, supported by Stanford University, has experienced a transformation becoming a hub of the semiconductor and information science industry (Aslani et al 2015;Henton and Held 2013;Chan et al 2011).…”

The Role of Universities in Shaping the Evolution of Silicon Valley’s Ecosystem of Innovation

“…Silicon Valley is the archetype of ecosystems of innovation (Pique et al 2018;Engel 2015;Saxenian 1996). Its growth, organic and policy directed, is a mix of bottom up and top down initiatives that scaled thanks to a rich compost of government and private investments to support science, technology, firm formation and growth (Engel 2014).…”

“…Today the valley is home to some of the world's largest corporations and thousands of startup companies in these new industries. As in many other innovation enclaves, new demands have arisen in Silicon Valley and the different agents in the ecosystem have been called to reconstruct their roles to rapidly adapt to these new challenges (Pique et al 2018). Thus, it is of principal interest to identify and map out the impact of the different interventions that stimulated the evolution (Engel 2015).…”

“…Literature examining how universities are effective catalysts for leadership, infrastructure and provide innovation development cohesion in an ecosystem of innovation is available (Cai and Liu 2014;Liu and Cai 2017). Yet, relatively little is known about how universities re-adjust their role over time, and the consequences of their actions on the ecosystem (Pique et al 2018).…”

Universities as a fundamental component of innovation systems

“…In this sense, there are numerous studies that address industrial parks such as Silicon Valley and Route 168 (Pique et al, 2018), among others, as incubators of innovations by business giants or studies that are aimed at analyzing the results of the production of invention patents and their relationship with the private sector, under the logic of commercialism and profitability and discuss What is the role of the government to improve the conditions of research, development and innovation as state financing programs to promote starups?…”