Open Source Hardware Startups and Their Communities

Robin P. G. Tech (), Jan-Peter Ferdinand () and Martina Dopfer ()
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Robin P. G. Tech: Alexander von Humboldt-Institut for Internet and Society
Jan-Peter Ferdinand: Institute for Ecological Economy Research
Martina Dopfer: Alexander von Humboldt-Institut for Internet and Society

A chapter in The Decentralized and Networked Future of Value Creation, 2016, pp 129-145 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This chapter examines open source communities as distinct environments for distributed innovation. Focusing on open source 3D printing communities, we investigate approaches to entrepreneurial action and map various types of business models and their perceived legitimacy by the community. Although the community-focused mode works well for the explorative part of innovation, we find that it imposes limitations on actors who aim to diffuse—i.e., exploit—novel products. By qualitatively analyzing startup companies that emerge from or engage with open source 3D printing communities, we identify three main strategies to manage the interplay of community- and market-based settings and the associated levels of reciprocity.

Keywords: Open Source; Business Model; Trade Fair; Open Source Software; Community Interaction (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-31686-4_7

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