DESIGNING A TECHNOLOGY VALUATION MODEL IN IRANIAN STARTUPS

Abstract

Technology valuation is needed by companies in today's knowledge-based economy. The intangible nature of technology, influence of environmental factors and conditions on it, have made calculating its value complicated. At present, a large part of the country's economic activities in the technological ecosystem is carried out by companies and startups, whose growth and development are possible with the influx of capital. Therefore, the aim of the upcoming research was to identify dimensions and explain the technology valuation model in Iranian startups. The approach of the research is qualitative, and in the research process, the Grounded Theory has been used. The 10 participants including active experts, policymakers, consultants, and CEOs in Iran's startup ecosystem, were selected by using the purposeful sampling method and analyzed by using the content analysis method. Participants identified factors such as lack of technology valuation requirements, bubble of startups claiming technology, innovation as causal factors, technology brokers and conflict of interests as interfering factors in the strategies of the desired phenomenon, development and promotion of technology valuation discourse, transformation of existing knowledge in the field of technology to valuable knowledge, leadership and idea management and localization of technology valuation as solution-oriented strategies, benefits of calculating the real value of technology and valuation process itself regardless of the result were expressed as the consequences of expanding the technology valuation model in Iranian startups. In this way, the dimensions of the desired model were extracted and explained.