Understanding design capabilities required for design-driven entrepreneurship: The case of Hong Kong Design Centre

Design-driven entrepreneurship, where design serves as the core logic of the entrepreneurial process, offers a promising avenue for value creation and innovation. However, a clearer understanding of the specific design capabilities involved and how to effectively manage them is still needed. Addressing this gap, this research explores a framework that identifies five core design capabilities perceived as essential for design-driven entrepreneurship. Through a self-reported survey of Hong Kong Design Centre start-ups, this study examines their perceived association with entrepreneurial success. The findings suggest that Operational Design Capabilities, Project Management Skills, and Internal Design Coordination are particularly important for achieving short-term success, while External Design Coordination and Strategic Design Capabilities are more strongly associated with long-term success. These insights advance the theoretical discourse on design-driven entrepreneurship and offer practical guidance for start-ups to better leverage design.