As
the concept of corporate sustainability is being advocated, social innovation
is also gradually gaining importance. Many startups encounter difficulties in
their early stages of development, both in terms of operations and
capabilities. Companies with business support can shorten the time to adapt to
the market and increase the survival rate of startups. Meanwhile, incubators
supporting entrepreneurship have evolved into different forms with the
development of various industries. Incubators, which support entrepreneurship,
have evolved alongside various industries, with some focusing specifically on
social issues. Incubators focusing on social issues have also emerged, yet only
a few studies have investigated social incubators. Therefore, this study conducts
multiple case studies focusing on startups in the creative industry. weIt
examines the processes of participating in both social incubators and
university incubators, employing a comparative analysis framework based on the
theory of Public-private partnership (PPPs). We selecting potential candidates
from the list of supported companies listed on the incubator websites and
choosing those within the creative industry domain, inviting them to
participate in interviews. The study found that clustering similar types of
enterprises helps deepen and enhance their growth. On the other hand, social
incubators, due to their goals, resources, and activities, can provide more
opportunities for collaboration with private enterprises and access to industry
resources. Additionally, participation in university incubators not only
provides comprehensive business support but also access to key resources for
collaboration with the public sector. The experiential evidence from case
studies of creative industry incubators in Asia fills the research gap related
to social incubators. Through the comparison of different types of incubators,
it enriches the knowledge base of stakeholders (private enterprises,
government, universities, and business incubators) regarding PPPs. It aids
researchers and practitioners in gaining a more comprehensive understanding of
the current status and future directions of incubator development, highlighting
the distinct roles and contributions of social and university incubators in
supporting startup growth and innovation.
