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>The problem is that there is no proof that the Mittelstand model can work for tech startups, while there is proof that the SV model can. To me it seems pretty
by lumberjack 13y ago
>The problem is that there is no proof that the Mittelstand model can work for tech startups, while there is proof that the SV model can.
To me it seems pretty obviously that one is the antithesis of the other. Mittelstand seem to work well in established markets with a sensible good quality product or in niche markets where they could often be the only manufacturers worldwide. It does not strike me as the kind of enterprise that aims to grow fast and disrupt markets.
Besides, there is already Middelstand tech businesses. They are the software houses that write niche B2B software like time table schedulers for schools and such.
- danmaz74 13y agoWell, it all depends on how you define "tech startup" and "mittelstand". My impression is that neither of the two have a clear-cut definition.
- zeigor 13y agoDisrupting market is not easy, but it significantly easier, if the first priority of the company is not being self sustainable and instead rely on on venture capital. Twitter is an interesting example in that context. A company that surfaced a unique user behavior and created utterly new communication patterns. Yet, because it didn't focus building a business, it ended having to rely on archaic business models to finance itself while in the process disregarding the people who helped make it grow.