Hunter-gatherer cycle: a conceptual model of the evolution of software startups

Software startups are increasingly important in generating innovative products and services that widely impact global economy. However, there is an insufficient research support for their innovation and engineering activities, from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. This study aims at proposing a conceptual model to understand how these activities occur and evolve in software startups. The model is constructed using a complexity theory and system design thinking. The model usage is illustrated by describing three software startup stories. The results show that our model can capture innovation generation activities and the non-linear evolution of engineering activities in software startups, which is not presentable in current software life cycle models.