关键词: 关键词：众创空间, 初创企业, 孵化服务, 功能角色

Abstract: Abstract: as the platform of incubation service, maker space plays a significant role in promoting the development of start-ups. Based on the resource dependence theory and social network theory, and the development stage model of start-ups as the analysis framework, this study chose two typical maker spaces—Wuhan Biotechnology Research Institute and Garage Coffee (Wuhan) — to do case analysis, exploring the service and role of maker space in each stage of the start-ups’ development. By the two-cases comparative analysis, the study found that: In each different growth stage, start-ups face diverse difficulties. And in the whole process, maker space plays unique roles in providing targeted services and help. In general, start-ups have experienced three stages: conceptualization stage, commercialization stage and growth stage. In the growth process of start-ups, maker space breaks the resource shackles at all stages by providing targeted help and support according to the stage characteristics. Different types of maker space may have their own strong points, but they generally provide four types of services: hardware support, technical support, business support and network support, playing the role of builder, promoter, provider and linker. To be specific, the detailed situation is as follows. In the conceptualization stage of start-ups, faced with the dilemma lack of practical knowledge, the first difficulty is to transform business ideas into practical business plans and put them into practice. By providing hardware support, business support and network support, maker space assists new entrepreneurs to clarify their business blueprint, contact relevant departments, build a reliable team, helping them out of the chaos. At this stage, maker space is the builder and linker. In the stage of commercialization, start-ups need to promote the sales of their products or services to the market. Their prime challenge is to consider how to realize the production and distribution of products or services, and what kind of sale strategies to attracting customers. This is the foundation for the survival of start-ups. At this stage, the maker space mainly focuses on providing corresponding training guidance and consultation, introducing professional external organizations. Now, it plays the role of promoter and linker by providing business support and network support. In the growth stage of the start-ups, they need to seek further development opportunities, improve the supply capacity, consolidate market position and pursue long-term competitive advantage. At this time, start-ups ought to need more funds to develop and test new products or services, need more diversified market channels and a wider customer base. The maker space will bring its platform advantages into full play, help start-ups to obtain external financial facilitation and expand the market shares. By providing business support and network support, the maker space mainly does function as the role of supplier and linker.