As technological change accelerates and competitive pressures intensify, collaboration between startups and established corporations has emerged as a key mechanism for accessing, developing, and integrating new technologies. Despite growing scholarly interest, existing research predominantly examines individual collaboration formats in isolation, resulting in limited conceptual clarity on the relationship between formats, and how they can be systematically categorized. This paper addresses that gap by conducting a systematic literature review of 22 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2019 and 2025. Drawing on meta-synthesis as an interpretive approach, it identifies and categorizes the main types of corporate-startup collaboration found in the literature and situates them within the broader Open Innovation paradigm. The findings reveal that corporate-startup engagement encompasses five principal categories: corporate venturing modes, joint projects, partnerships, events, and non-binding exchange formats. These categories are synthesized into a macro-level conceptual framework that clarifies the boundaries, characteristics, and potential transition paths between collaboration types. The framework contributes to theory by consolidating dispersed terminology and supporting cumulative knowledge building in technology and innovation management, while offering a structured reference for designing open-innovation and corporate-startup engagement strategies to practitioners

Established firms increasingly rely on corporate entrepreneurship (CE) to address digital, competitive, and talent‑related transformation pressures. Within these initiatives, corporate entrepreneurs (CEPs) play a central role in identifying and developing new business opportunities, yet many eventually leave their CE roles or employers altogether. We still know little about why CEPs exit and how entrepreneurial self‑efficacy (ESE) shapes these career decisions. Drawing on Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), this exploratory study combines sequence‑analytical Optimal Matching Analysis (OMA) of 151 CEPs’ career trajectories, semi‑structured interviews with nine (former) CEPs, and a small survey (n=7) using an adapted ESE scale. We identify distinct post‑entry career patterns, highlight organizational conditions and perceived lack of exploitation paths as primary exit triggers, and show that exits often occur at high levels of ESE. Rather than signaling failure, CEP exits appear as agency‑driven reallocations of entrepreneurial human capital under conditions of perceived “blocked” internal opportunities. The study advances the micro‑foundations of CE and derives implications for the design of CE roles, organizational contexts, and retention strategies.

Corporate entrepreneurs (CEPs), often described as intrapreneurs, play a pivotal role in driving innovation and strategic renewal within established organizations. While prior research has identified key entrepreneurial competencies, little is known about how these competencies develop over the course of corporate careers. Addressing this gap, this study investigates the career pathways of CEPs in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) to uncover recurring educational and professional patterns that contribute to intrapreneurial capability development. Drawing on Human Capital Theory and Social Cognitive Career Theory, we employ a mixed-methods research design combining grounded theory coding with quantitative pattern mining. The empirical basis consists of 132 LinkedIn profiles of identified CEPs. Using open, axial, and selective coding, we inductively derive core career dimensions, including academic pathway, pre-corporate experience, corporate trajectory, and international exposure. Sequential pattern analyses (Apriori algorithm) identify frequently occurring combinations and sequences of career experiences. The findings reveal consistent developmental patterns. CEPs typically possess strong formal education in STEM and/or business disciplines, often complemented by advanced degrees. Many follow an early expert trajectory within R&D or strategy functions before transitioning into innovation-centric roles. International exposure, consulting experience, and prior startup involvement frequently serve as additional accelerators. Two dominant pathways emerge: (1) a technical expert to innovation leader trajectory and (2) a business strategist to venture manager trajectory. These patterns suggest that intrapreneurial capability results from the cumulative integration of deep domain expertise and cross-functional breadth. The study contributes to CE research by shifting the focus from static competency models to dynamic, experience-based developmental pathways. By empirically linking observable career sequences to competency formation, the paper advances data-driven entrepreneurship research and provides actionable insights for organizations seeking to identify and cultivate internal innovation champions.

Sustainability strategy implementation is frequently treated as a technical alignment challenge involving metrics, reporting systems, and governance structures. Yet less is known about how collaborative innovation processes unfold in practice and when sustainability initiatives gain traction across organizational functions. Drawing on a three-year longitudinal ethnographic study of a Sustainability Steering Group in a Finnish manufacturing company, this paper examines how and when sustainability transformation becomes operationally embedded.

We show that implementation progresses sequentially through competitive, collaborative, and configurational forms of boundary work, each associated with a distinct temporal orientation. In early phases, competitive boundary work mobilizes reconstructed pasts to establish legitimacy and strategic positioning. In intermediate phases, collaborative boundary work relies on near term boundary objects such as roadmaps and shared indicators to align departments and strengthen cross functional innovation capacity. In later phases, configurational boundary work integrates distant future milestones, such as carbon neutrality targets, with present operations through temporal bracketing, enabling experimentation while maintaining competitiveness.

We identify collective identity creation as the central mechanism that enables this temporal progression. By regulating emotional resonance, including aspiration and urgency, and cognitive resonance, including accountability and alignment, working groups translate sustainability ambitions into coordinated and resilient organizational action.

Theoretically, the study contributes to research on boundary work and organizational temporality by explaining how temporal structures are enacted and stabilized through group identity processes. It advances innovation management research by conceptualizing working groups as temporal structuring devices that enable cross functional integration and competitive sustainability transformation.