Internal alignment and external viability of innovation ecosystems: A multi-level perspective

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Path-breaking innovations are increasingly developed and commercialized by networks of co-creating actors, so-called innovation ecosystems. Previous work in this area has demonstrated that, to create and appropriate value, ecosystem actors should align their activities. The effort of a focal venture to bring its ecosystem actors to alignment can be coined the internal development of the ecosystem. However, literature has largely overlooked that the success of the innovation ecosystem also depends on its external viability in the socio- technical environment. Path-breaking innovations inherently challenge the prevailing socio-technical regime (e.g., established infrastructure, rules and artifacts) that is resistant to change. We develop a systemic multi- level perspective on how a focal venture develops an innovation ecosystem for path- breaking innovation so that it is both internally aligned and externally viable.