Author(s): Stefan Slavik, Richard Bednar, Ivana Misunova Hudakova, Katarina Moravcikova
Start-ups are an attractive business phenomenon, which often and quickly fails. The biggest shortcomings and advantages of start-ups are hidden in their business model, although the influence of other factors cannot be neglected. The analysis of the literature confirms the key importance of the business model, but does not provide more detailed and in-depth knowledge of its structure. The goal of the research is a detailed penetration into the structure and quality of the start-up business model and the identification of its impact on the start-up's performance. A secondary goal of the research is to examine the influence of other features of the start-up on performance, e.g. originality of the business idea, development phase and type of market. The research sample contains 112 start-ups operating in Slovakia. The business model is recorded on the basis of canvas visualization. Each start-up was studied by a member of the research team, who personally recorded the founder's statements. The main result of the research is an extensive analytical picture of the start-up business model, which describes the diverse quality of its individual blocks, explains the causes of these differences, identifies blocks that affect star-up performance and draws attention to the internal paradoxes of the model. A side effect is the identification of other factors that affect the performance of the start-up. The practical use of research results lies in a realistic picture of the business model of a start-up, its strengths and weaknesses, contradictions and consequences for business performance, which are the result of field research of real and functioning start-ups. In addition, the research draws attention to other relevant factors influencing the performance of the start-up. The originality and value of the research lies in the direct collection of quantitative data, immediate knowledge of the business reality and the organization of the results into a comprehensive and at the same time detailed picture of the start-up business model.