Architecting Sustainable Digital Startups: A Qualitative Synthesis of Dynamic Capabilities, Digital Platforms, and Green Business Model Innovation
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58258/dibi.qp09ye19Keywords:
Sustainable Digital Startup, Twin Transition, Green-Digital Dynamic Capabilities, Digital Platform Ecosystem, Green Business Model InnovationAbstract
The convergence of digital transformation and environmental sustainability—termed the "Twin Transition"—presents both strategic opportunities and paradoxes for early-stage technology ventures. While digital startups possess structural agility, they often struggle to reconcile rapid economic scaling with ecological stewardship under severe resource constraints. This study addresses this tension by examining how digital startups architect green business model innovation through specialized organizational capabilities and platform ecosystems. Employing a qualitative literature synthesis based on 26 peer-reviewed articles, this research integrates Dynamic Capabilities Theory (DCT) with digital platform governance perspectives. The findings reveal that successful sustainable startups develop "Green-Digital Dynamic Capabilities" across three micro-foundations: green sensing, green seizing, and green transforming. Furthermore, digital platform architectures act as core enablers by driving dematerialization, eco-optimized delivery, and outcome-based value capture. These synthesized dimensions are unified into a novel conceptual model: the Sustainable Digital Startup Architecture (SDSA) framework. Ultimately, this study offers startup founders an actionable roadmap for building born-green digital ventures and provides impact investors with qualitative frameworks to evaluate sustainable tech ventures.References
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