Value Co‐Creation and Value Capture in Digital Innovation Ecosystems: A Multiple Case Study in the Agrifood Sector

Innovation ecosystems (IEs) are interconnected networks of organizations that co-create and capture value by fostering innovation within a particular sector. Recently, IEs have been shaped by digital transformation, which influences the way ecosystem members can interact, collaborate, and conduct their businesses. The result is the establishment of digital IEs (DIEs) where the shared creation and capture of value revolve around digital technologies. This paper is aimed at investigating how digital technologies allow for the transition of IEs in DIEs by introducing new value co-creation and capture mechanisms. To this aim, a multiple case study has been performed in the agri-food sector, where multifold digital technologies characterize new DIEs. The manuscript defines three main configurations of DIEs: resource-based DIEs, connection-based DIEs, and the hybrid form of resource-connection DIEs. Each DIE configuration is characterized by specific value co-creation and capture mechanisms. The study contributes to both academic literature and practical understanding of IEs by shedding light on the pivotal role of digital technologies in transforming traditional IEs into DIEs.