Public defence in Logistics, Teemu Valminen, MSc.
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The doctoral thesis of Teemu Valminen, MSc. "Technology commercialization in mission oriented innovation context Essays on the role of ecosystems in business in technological transition” will be publicly examined at the Aalto University School of Business on Friday, October 23, 2026.
Why do new technologies fail to reach the market?
Many technologies that are important for societal transformation are only slowly progressing from promising pilots to widespread adoption, as currently witnessed in the clean transition. The success of commercialization of new technologies does not necessarily lie in technologies themselves. The surrounding infrastructure, markets, and regulation may develop more slowly than the technology.
The dissertation examines Innovation Ecosystems and their role in accelerating commercialization of novel technologies. It explores how interdependent yet independent actors can be guided towards a shared goal without hierarchical authority - united by a shared mission.
Research on commercialization draws on theories and insight from multiple academic disciplines, with no clear grounds on its own. The dissertation brings these perspectives together through the lens of ecosystem leadership, building on two case studies. The dissertation proposes a new field of study – Ecosystem-driven technology commercialization.
The key finding of the dissertation is that the commercialization of new technologies is fundamentally a coordination challenge. Traditionally, however, commercialization has been approached from the perspectives of productization, supply-chain formation, and sales as the linear end of RDI. The dissertation proposes an alternative approach - Ecosystem-driven technology commercialization - that challenges such conventional models.
The dissertation proposes an inverse approach alongside conventional research, development and innovation activities: first the needed breakthroughs need to be defined, after necessary development and research activities are guided towards that goal. The targeted breakthrough may equally be commercial as technological.
Within Innovation Ecosystems, the goals and roles of actors, as well as the surrounding environment, evolve over time. Collaboration is found to be sustained in a number of ways. The dissertation identifies complementary capabilities, reducing direct competitive tensions between actors, redirecting the shared goal when necessary, and adapting the composition of the ecosystem as key.
The findings can be applied by companies, research organizations, public funding bodies, and ecosystem coordinators in concrete projects. However, bringing actors together under the label of an ecosystem does not by itself create impact. The dissertation proposes Ecosystem-driven technology commercialization as a new model that addresses barriers to commercialization with simultaneous reduction of uncertainties and alignment of supply with demand. Such role can be undertaken particularly by large companies, which possess sufficient resources to lead change across multiple fields.
Keywords: Innovation Management; Technology Commercialization; Ecosystem Orchestration
Opponent: Professor Alex Ruiz-Torres, University of Puerto Rico
Custos (Chairperson): Professor Markku Kuula, Aalto University School of Business
Contact information: teemu.valminen@aalto.fi
Thesis available at: https://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/50
Thesis available for public display 7 days prior to the defence