University libraries as open innovation partners: Harnessing hidden potential to foster global entrepreneurship

Abstract Universities and their libraries are well-positioned to provide a rich source of market information that can help resource-constrained start-ups to globalise their business operations. As one of the more important elements of the innovation ecosystem, knowledge-sharing can help start-ups to make data-driven, strategic decisions, rather than basing forward momentum on unreliable intuition. This column highlights the author's experience with a consultancy project that featured a university's library's support of entrepreneurial globalisation, the various implications for both start-ups as well as entrepreneurs, and lessons learned that could become the norm for more open innovation and collaboration between libraries, entrepreneurs, and their start-ups.