Business innovation in digital startups: A case study of an AI startup

Xinhui Tang, Shujun Du and Wenwen Deng

International Review of Economics & Finance, 2025, vol. 98, issue C

Abstract: While digital startups may demonstrate greater success compared to traditional startups, they also face more intricate and dynamic challenges. Lean startup approaches (LSAs) have garnered significant attention due to their effectiveness in fostering business model innovation within the realm of digital entrepreneurship. However, there is limited understanding regarding the application of LSAs by digital startups for effective business model innovation. Through a longitudinal exploratory case study of a Chinese AI startup, our research establishes a framework for the process of business model innovation in digital startups. We elucidate the underlying factors contributing to the limited efficacy of business model innovation in digital start-ups, unveil the internal influence mechanism of LSAs on business model innovation, emphasize its pivotal role in addressing challenges associated with business model innovation and promoting its advancement, and propose relevant propositions.

Keywords: Lean startup approaches; Business model innovation; Digital startup; Challenges of business model innovation; Longitudinal case study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1059056025000619
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:reveco:v:98:y:2025:i:c:s1059056025000619

DOI: 10.1016/j.iref.2025.103898

Access Statistics for this article

International Review of Economics & Finance is currently edited by H. Beladi and C. Chen

More articles in International Review of Economics & Finance from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().