The Business Model of Digital Ecosystems: Why and How You Should Do It

Digital ecosystems and platforms require a business model, which is a model of how a business creates, delivers, and captures value. We argue that the business model should be a networked business model, as ecosystems and platforms are connected networks of organizations and consumers. Furthermore, we emphasize that a business model should be a conceptual model that is expressed using a (semi) formal language. This is not only needed in order to create an unambiguous and shared understanding of the ecosystem at hand; it is also a prerequisite for software-assisted analysis and for the use of other design techniques, e.g. for business process engineering, and ICT architecture design. We explain these two requirements concerning business modelling using a series of industry strength cases.