 On the role of small firms in cluster evolution: the case of internet development in Norway during the 1990sJartrud Steinsli and Olav R. Spilling International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management, 2004, vol. 4, issue 2/3, 194-215 Abstract: In December 1991, a group of 16 people from the University of Oslo, with core knowledge in the field of informatics and computing services, met for a "pizza meeting" and decided to start a new company, Oslonett. In Norway, this case represents the first attempt to commercialise emerging internet technology. Diverse, multifaceted development followed. The Oslonett initiative led to a "chain reaction" in which many different actors took part. The original Oslonett was transferred into new companies, and a number of spin-offs ensued. The purpose of this paper is to present the Oslonett case in detail; and to illustrate important mechanisms of cluster evolution, by following the actors who were involved in the initial start-up. The role of different actors is analysed from the perspectives of innovation systems and high-technology clusters, and the role of small firms is examined in relation to other actors, in particular the University of Oslo and larger firms. Keywords: cluster evolution; commercialisation; new technology; internet; business evolution; start-ups; startups; entrepreneurs; small firms; large firms; university; Norway. (search for similar items in EconPapers) Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ids:ijeima:v:4:y:2004:i:2/3:p:194-215 Access Statistics for this article More articles in International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management from Inderscience Enterprises Ltd |
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