Corporate Accelerator Programs.

Acknowledgments
This dissertation would not have been possible without the enduring support and guidance of my supervisors, colleagues, friends, and family.
Firstly, I am sincerely grateful for my doctoral supervisor Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Herstatt for giving me the opportunity to follow my research interest and providing me with direction whenever needed. Sec¬ondly, I would like to thank Prof. Dr. Christoph Ihl for being my second supervisor and offering me practical support and valuable insights in several discussions.
Furthermore, I would like to express my gratitude to my colleagues for the many fruitful discussions, critical questions, valuable feedback and moral support. In particular, I would like to thank Stephan Bergmann, Viktoria Drabe, Malte Krohn, Daniel Kruse and Thorsten Pieper for making the time at the Institute for Technology and Innovation Management so special, in a professional and personal manner.
Finally, I would like to thank my friends for helping me to overcome the more challenging times of this project and thank my family for their unconditional support and belief in me. Thank you Darius for sharing so many special travels during that time with me and being the best brother in the world. Last but not least, I would like to express my deep gratitude to my parents Lydia and Siegfried for always being there for me and encouraging me to follow my dreams. I dedicate this thesis to you.