Covid 19 vs. start-ups. Have corporations modified their attitudes towards co-operation with start-ups?

Corporate accelerators play an pivotal role in the development of start-up products and services. They are the key link connecting young innovative companies with corporations. They provide the necessary know-how in product or service development, support in choosing the right commercialisation strategy, internationalisation of start-ups and also provide access to a network of investors. The interest of corporations in participating in acceleration programmes is related to an option of acquiring new innovative solutions, technologies that give them a market advantage. The success of the programme is determined by the level of commitment of all parties involved to such model (start-up-accelerator-corporation). The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the operational considerations of the market players. This paper aims at examining the pandemic impact on the propensity of corporations to cooperate with start-ups within the framework of acceleration programmes run by start-up accelerators. The research is presented from three dimensions: a) the size of the corporation calculated as the number of people employed, b) the seniority of the corporation's cooperation with start-ups, c) whether the corporation has a strategy and procedures for cooperation with start-ups. On the grounds of the findings obtained from the representatives of 25 corporations, it was concluded that the technology users are limiting their activities aimed at cooperation with start-ups and are not making major changes in this area, focusing instead on minimising the risks involved and securing their core business. The pandemic has not contributed to corporations’ opening up to start-ups, which so far have not been of interest to them. And the majority of respondents have no opinion on the statement that start-ups, observing the market turbulence, can quickly adapt their activities to the evolving needs of technology users. There were also correlations between the assessment of the pandemic impact and selected corporate characteristics.