Start-up competitions, understood here as a programme in which individuals and/or teams compete for awards and prizes by submitting information on a business venture to a judging panel, endure as a common feature of entrepreneurial ecosystems and a prominent model of start-up support intervention globally (Watson, McGowan, & Cunningham, 2018). Upon a premise of stimulating new venture creation and nurturing entrepreneurial talent in pursuit of economic development more broadly, large sums of money are invested by private industry and public bodies in sustaining such provision. Higher Education Institutions have been particularly strong proponents of this agenda. The aims of this proposed PhD are to; [1] fill a gap in understanding toward the effectiveness of different start-up competitions in achieving their intended objectives for entrepreneurs with disabilities, [2] identify the factors shaping the influence of competition participation outcomes for this group, [3] contribute to debate around the inclusivity and accessibility of competition-based initiatives for entrepreneurship education and start-up support.

Participation in a start-up competition is promoted to prospective entrants as a valuable opportunity to develop and test their business ideas as well as gain access to the financial, human and social capital needed to resource venture implementation activity (Watson & McGowan, 2019). Whilst traditionally associated with the submission and judgement of a business plan, a range of different types of competitions can now be observed to exist under the broader ‘start-up competition’ umbrella term. Examples which include enterprise competitions, idea competitions, venture challenges, business model competitions, pitching competitions, prototype, demo and showcasing competitions, funding competitions and accelerator competitions. These competitions may be conducted in person, virtually or as hybrid programmes either locally, regionally, nationally or internationally. Interestingly, a trend toward competition-based programmes specifically targeted at those with disabilities can also be observed.

Start-up competitions are viewed as beneficial to the organisations hosting them, and a valuable source of support for those participating, concerningly however the monitoring of equality, diversity and inclusion can be inconsistent. There can also be a tendency not to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of competition provision. Despite the proliferation of competitions and the high cost of funding their provision, research regarding the role and efficacy of these competitions has traditionally been and continues to be fragmented. Research for example is often limited to a particular competition type or geographical context. Seldom has this extended to specific groups of participants such as those with disabilities, who face unique challenges regarding accessing support to create new ventures, but also high rates of unemployment and employment barriers more generally (Doan et al., 2021). The efficacy of start-up competitions as an intervention for encouraging entrepreneurship amongst those with disabilities is therefore a timely focus of research attention.

There are exciting possibilities for the PhD applicant to respond to calls for competition research to broaden its methodological scope and embrace more diverse methods of enquiry. A cross-disciplinary and intersectional approach using mixed methods will provide enriched insights. As well as contributing to a topic of growing research interest within the entrepreneurship field, in terms of its impact this research will help to improve the inclusivity of the start-up competition landscape, aiming to inform future policy and practice.

Academic Enquiries

This project is supervised by Dr Kayleigh Watson. For informal academic queries, contact kayleigh.watson@northumbria.ac.uk . For enquiries relating to eligibility or application process, email fc.pgr.admissions@northumbria.ac.uk.

For further information and to apply please click here.