Digital Platform Business Models and Startup Scaling: A Bibliometric Analysis
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.71238/jesvd.v1i01.200Keywords:
Bibliometric Analysis; Digital Platform; Network Effects; Platform Business Models; Startup ScalingAbstract
This study maps the scholarly development of digital platform business models and their connection to startup scaling through a bibliometric analysis. A dataset of 1,327 Scopus-indexed documents published between 2003 and 2026 was analyzed with VOSviewer to examine keyword co-occurrence, temporal trends, keyword density, co-authorship at the author, institution, and country levels, and citation impact. The results show that digital platforms form the conceptual core of the field and connect six thematic clusters covering platform economics and multi-sided markets, entrepreneurship and e-commerce, digital transformation and competition, ecosystem value creation, the digital economy, and sustainable development. The overlay map indicates a move from earlier work on the sharing economy, network effects, and new business models toward recent attention to sustainability, circular economy, artificial intelligence, and digital entrepreneurship. Collaboration among authors and institutions remains fragmented, while country-level networks are led by Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, and the Russian Federation. The most cited works concentrate on platform ecosystems, platform business model types, and digital entrepreneurship. Concepts most closely tied to scaling, such as network effects, two-sided markets, and platform design, are still studied less often, which calls for research that links platform design and network dynamics with the growth outcomes of new ventures.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Loso Judijanto, Joni Wilson Sitopu, Nanny Mayasari, Murthada, Siera Syailendra (Author)
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