ABSTRACT
This chapter explains the evolution of the Japanese business system by applying the notion of institutional logics to the information and communication technologies (ICT) start-up ecosystem in Japan. It analyzes firm- and individual-level practices to identify the mechanism under which new practices and logics gradually emerge in a field of the ICT start-up ecosystem. The chapter explains the adoption of institutional logics and practices of business incubation in three arenas: capital markets, labor markets, and social networks. Through the analysis of qualitative data concerning the period between the mid-1990s and the 2010s, the chapter identifies two logics that coexist in the ICT start-up ecosystem in Japan: Venture Logic and Corporate Logic. The chapter argues that Venture Logic spread from one arena to another and continues to be adopted by a new generation of actors, especially those who are in the center of the ecosystem.
