Influencing factors and configurational paths of novelty-centered business model design: evidence from China’s digital start-ups

Purpose This study aims to systematically explore the antecedents of novelty-centered business model (BM) design for digital start-ups in emerging markets and contributes to the discussion on resource orchestration theory and entrepreneurial learning theory, especially in the current digital era. Design/methodology/approach In order to explore the relationship between antecedent configurations and novelty-centered BM design, this study employs the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) method to analyze 25 cases of gold medal-winning projects from the China College Students’ “Internet+” Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition in 2018 and 2019, which covering 11 provinces, cities and regions in China. Findings This study identifies four types of paths to high novelty-centered BM design of digital start-ups: resource-leveraging-oriented, resource-orchestration-driven, entrepreneurial-learning-driven and resource-learning synergy. The finance industry and science and technology service industry are significantly resource-leveraging-oriented. The information technology service industry is characterized by resource-orchestration-driven, while the education industry is mainly entrepreneurial-learning-driven. Lastly, the entertainment industry and wholesale industry are resource-learning synergy. Practical implications This study provides practical insights into novelty-centered BM design for digital start-ups in emerging economies. Start-ups in different industries should choose a shaping path suitable for their conditions and promote novelty-centered BM design. Originality/value First, this paper constructs a theoretical framework for BM design of digital start-ups, distinguishing it from the technology-driven BM design commonly observed in start-ups from developed markets and enriching the research on BM design in emerging economies. Second, by integrating resource orchestration and entrepreneurial learning, this research identifies four types of paths that drive high novelty-centered BM design, developing the research on combinational antecedents of BM design for digital start-ups. Lastly, this study applies resource orchestration theory and entrepreneurial learning theory to BM design and reveals their substitutive and complementary effects, thus advancing these theories in the digital era.