SSIA is an ongoing research programme at the University of Edinburgh Business School. Its purpose is to examine the interplay of emerging vendors in the b2b tech/services segment and the ecosystem of investors and accelerators with industry analysts. The programme aims to gather a holistic understanding of this rarely revealed part of the playing field, the needs and practices of its actors, and to identify success patterns and trends.
SSIA was initiated by Chris Holscher in 2021 and soon joined by fellow AR-expert Robin Schaffer. The programme is sponsored by Neil Pollock, Professor for Innovation and Social Informatics, and supported by volunteer PhD students.
Data-driven insights for the startup ecosystem
We define “emerging” vendors as companies that have been operating for no longer than 10 years. We don’t set regional limits to the research so that we can spot geographic differences and derive policy recommendations for governments and NGOs.
The research combines scientific surveys and the analysis of publicly available data and expert interviews with practitioners.
A unique quality of the SSIA research programme is that it brings together the different perspectives from the three perspectives of emerging vendors, their ecosystem and industry analysts, generating a 360° holistic understanding of the matter.
The SSIA research gathers views from both, people who have, and have no previous hands-on experience with the analyst relations function. This allows us to identify misconceptions, perceived hurdles, etc.
Instead of repeating the same questions every other year, we extend our knowledge by examining new aspects in every round of the research. This way we can sharpen the picture and add new pieces to the puzzle.
If you have ideas for research questions or any feedback, we'd love to hear from you!
