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PurposeThis study analyzed the multilevel barriers and facilitators of technological eco-innovations.Design/methodology/approachThe authors carried out an in-depth case study in a Brazilian cosmetics company, recognized for its eco-innovative initiatives, which has the technological eco-innovation of products as a central sustainability strategy.FindingsThe results contribute to the existing literature, showing that multilevel analysis is effective for minimizing barriers and increasing facilitators, especially through the company's adoption of an eco-innovation strategy and planning methodologies. The authors identified four groups of barriers: market, raw material, governmental and company's internal factors; and four groups of facilitators: legislation, market and technological innovation, communication and environmental management.Originality/valueThe original research results contribute both to the literature and to the companies that aim to implement eco-innovative measures. The results showed that the adoption of innovation strategies and planning methodologies by the company can minimize barriers and enhance facilitators. In addition the fact is that barriers and facilitators of implementing eco-innovations are dynamic factors that require continuous monitoring since they can be a barrier in one circumstance and a facilitator in another.

This study examined the influence of networks on the development of technological capabilities of 90 technology-based companies (TBCs) graduated by Brazilian incubators. The relational-based view theoretically supported the study. The data were processed via Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). A model with three hypotheses was tested. Two hypotheses were validated, proving that technological and financial networks built by those firms with external agents explained 70.6% of their capacity to innovate. The insertion into technology networks of licensing, universities, suppliers, and consulting shows that the TBCs are making use of relationships of high technical content, which is expected according to previous literature. As for the financial networks, it was observed that the insertion into networks of venture capital and economic subvention demonstrates that the innovation ecosystem presents advancements in the well-known challenge of financial support for technology-based startups. A third hypothesis was not validated, which provides another important finding: the planning effort presented a negative relationship on the technological capability, but a positive relationship on the insertion into relationship networks. This means that only direct planning is not able to support technological capabilities. In other words, planning is more effective when indirectly applied to relational resources of technical and financial networks, rather than when directly applied to technological capabilities. The insertion into technical and financial networks, in turn, positively affects the TBC's innovation capability. Results demonstrate that this change in planning focus, from inside to outside of the company, could improve technological capabilities in R&D, patent, people, and products. Future studies could investigate the entrepreneur's competencies in managing networks and further understanding of how networks could be constructed through formal and informal cooperation.

Agradeço especialmente ao meu orientador prof. Dr. Silvio Aparecido dos Santos, pela disposição contínua em me orientar a partir da fronteira do conhecimento. Agradeço sua paciência, amizade, respeito e sabedoria compartilhada. A todos os meus amigos e colegas do GPEADE, especialmente ao prof. Dr. Márcio Shoiti Kuniyoshi, pelo acompanhamento ao estudo e pelo compartilhamento de conhecimentos. Aos professores Guilherme Ary Plonski e Moacir Miranda Oliveira Junior, pelo cuidado e contribuições na banca de qualificação. Aos professores José Afonso Mazzon, Cezar Alexandre de Souza, Leandro Prearo e Adilson Silva pelas contribuições estatísticas. Aos empreendedores, incríveis visionários da tecnologia, que responderam a pesquisa. Aos gestores de incubadoras, Sérgio Risola, Shirlei Soares e Edemar de Paula, que apoiaram o estudo e responderam a pesquisa qualitativa.

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