Growing on steroids: rapidly scaling the user base of digital ventures through digital innovation
Digital ventures, start-ups growing by drawing on and adding to digital infrastructures, can scale their business at an unprecedented pace. We view such rapid scaling as a generative process by which a venture’s user base increases significantly between two points in time through digital innovation....
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
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University of Minnesota, Management Information Systems Research Center
2017
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47487/ |
| _version_ | 1848797559090315264 |
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| author | Huang, Jimmy Henfridsson, Ola Liu, Martin J. Newell, Sue |
| author_facet | Huang, Jimmy Henfridsson, Ola Liu, Martin J. Newell, Sue |
| author_sort | Huang, Jimmy |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Digital ventures, start-ups growing by drawing on and adding to digital infrastructures, can scale their business at an unprecedented pace. We view such rapid scaling as a generative process by which a venture’s user base increases significantly between two points in time through digital innovation. We studied WeCash, a Chinese digital venture, nearly doubling its user base monthly, to learn more about this generative process. We trace three contingent mechanisms underpinning rapid scaling: data-driven operation, instant release, and swift transformation. We explain these mechanisms and how they interact in the rapid scaling of digital ventures. The research offers an agency perspective on scaling of digital ventures that speaks to the digital innovation literature. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:05:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-47487 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T20:05:48Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | University of Minnesota, Management Information Systems Research Center |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-474872020-05-04T18:32:29Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47487/ Growing on steroids: rapidly scaling the user base of digital ventures through digital innovation Huang, Jimmy Henfridsson, Ola Liu, Martin J. Newell, Sue Digital ventures, start-ups growing by drawing on and adding to digital infrastructures, can scale their business at an unprecedented pace. We view such rapid scaling as a generative process by which a venture’s user base increases significantly between two points in time through digital innovation. We studied WeCash, a Chinese digital venture, nearly doubling its user base monthly, to learn more about this generative process. We trace three contingent mechanisms underpinning rapid scaling: data-driven operation, instant release, and swift transformation. We explain these mechanisms and how they interact in the rapid scaling of digital ventures. The research offers an agency perspective on scaling of digital ventures that speaks to the digital innovation literature. University of Minnesota, Management Information Systems Research Center 2017-03-01 Article PeerReviewed Huang, Jimmy, Henfridsson, Ola, Liu, Martin J. and Newell, Sue (2017) Growing on steroids: rapidly scaling the user base of digital ventures through digital innovation. MIS Quarterly, 41 (1). pp. 301-314. ISSN 2162-9730 Digital innovation; digital ventures; digital technology; user base; rapid scaling; case study http://aisel.aisnet.org/misq/vol41/iss1/18/ |
| spellingShingle | Digital innovation; digital ventures; digital technology; user base; rapid scaling; case study Huang, Jimmy Henfridsson, Ola Liu, Martin J. Newell, Sue Growing on steroids: rapidly scaling the user base of digital ventures through digital innovation |
| title | Growing on steroids: rapidly scaling the user base of digital ventures through digital innovation |
| title_full | Growing on steroids: rapidly scaling the user base of digital ventures through digital innovation |
| title_fullStr | Growing on steroids: rapidly scaling the user base of digital ventures through digital innovation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Growing on steroids: rapidly scaling the user base of digital ventures through digital innovation |
| title_short | Growing on steroids: rapidly scaling the user base of digital ventures through digital innovation |
| title_sort | growing on steroids: rapidly scaling the user base of digital ventures through digital innovation |
| topic | Digital innovation; digital ventures; digital technology; user base; rapid scaling; case study |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47487/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/47487/ |