Start-up Companies - the Case of Kosice Region

The article represents the theoretical overview on definition of start-up companies and presents results of questionnaire research conducted in Kosice region. The research brought new insight into how start-up companies differ in terms of collaboration, R&D activities, financing source and what are their different support needs according to their stage of their development. The main reasons for this topic is the fact that the support policy for these companies is forming at the present in Slovakia and that there has been so far no attempt to investigate start-up companies in Kosice region. The results suggest that start-up companies collaborate mainly with firms or universities but rarely cooperation was indicated with research institutes. The findings further revealed relationship between the stage of the development of companies and their source of financing. While at the initial and growth phase of development most of stat-up companies used bank loans, at their start phase of development they opted also business angel and risk capital as their source of financing.