Iikka Meriläinen

I work as a project researcher at the MicroENTRE research group within the Kerttu Saalasti Institute, contributing to the KASVA and SMART ERA projects. In KASVA, I lead a work package focused on generating insights into identifying high-growth potential companies and evaluating the impact of business support services. In SMART ERA, I am preparing a digital platform-based service pilot to be launched next year in Northern Ostrobothnia.

My PhD research explores how new ventures gain legitimacy. Essentially, I study the everyday mechanisms that enable businesses to exist and grow. My research examines the diverse ways and processes through which startups seek social acceptance to access externally controlled resources—ensuring their survival and expansion.

My approach is multidisciplinary. In my dissertation, I conceptualize legitimation as a processual, continuously evolving, and socially constructed phenomenon. I also aim to capture micro-level interactions between businesses and their external environment, which shape and sustain legitimacy.

My background is in entrepreneurship, digitalization, and data. I hold a Master’s degree from Oulu Business School, where I conducted my thesis as a comprehensive literature review on new venture legitimation strategies.