A Multifaceted Perspective of Scaling Entrepreneurial Innovation and Impact in Developing Country Contexts

This paper redefines the understanding of venture scaling in emerging and developing countries through a longitudinal case study of over a decade of transformative growth by Gojek, a local venture in Indonesia. Contrary to the replication logic common among global players—which prioritizes rapid and broader market opportunity expansion using a single, proven business model—Gojek adopted a more incremental and depth-oriented approach. By identifying untapped local demands and developing new market opportunities through stacking different business models, Gojek generated both demand- and supply-side complementarities within its business model portfolio that led to subsequent scaling. The findings suggest that scaling in developing countries requires a multifaceted perspective, and that exploring local market opportunity deeply enables ventures to discover new opportunities and capitalize on them by operating multiple business models within the portfolio.