LEAN STARTUP IN PERSPECTIVE: A SCIENTOMETRIC ANALYSIS USING TREE OF SCIENCE

Abstract

The Lean Startup methodology has emerged as an agile strategy for developing new ventures, especially in digital and highly uncertain environments. This article presents a systematic literature review guided initially by a scientometric analysis and then by the Tree of Science approach, classifying seminal works (roots), established studies (trunk), and emerging research (leaves). Based on a search of the Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases, 238 publications from 2014 to 2024 were analyzed. The findings reflect a growing trend in total scientific production of 11.14%. The United States, Italy, and the United Kingdom stand out as the primary research centers, demonstrating a crucial role in international collaboration and knowledge consolidation. The analysis of total scientific output reveals two distinct stages: an initial growth phase (2014-2017), characterized by a 41.16% increase, and a stabilization phase (2018-2024), initially driven by digitalization and the COVID-19 pandemic, with a 2.79% growth. This study contributes to defining the state of the art in Lean Startup, highlighting the most influential theoretical and empirical contributions and guiding future lines of research in innovation, entrepreneurship, and agile methodologies