Effect of Artificial Intelligence on business model innovation
The impact of artificial intelligence

Lago, N. C., Abreu Pereira Uhr, D., Ribeiro, J. L. D., Olteanu, Y., & Fichter, K. (2026). The impact of artificial intelligence on startup business model innovation: Exploring conditional effects of different strategic goals. Technology in Society, 85, 17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103215

Abstract

The adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping how startups create, deliver, and capture value. Despite widespread practical use, empirical evidence on AI’s impact on startup business model innovation (BMI) remains limited. This study examines the causal effect of Artificial Intelligence on BMI and investigates how this effect is conditioned by strategic goals – rapid growth, profitability, market share, and social/environmental impact.

AI as a technological enabler of BMI

Using data from 1104 German startups and nonparametric tree-based Double Machine Learning models, we find that startups with intense use of AI exhibit significantly higher BMI than startups with little or no AI use. This effect is especially pronounced in startups prioritizing rapid growth and profitability, and it is strongest when startups pursue multiple strategic goals simultaneously, highlighting the amplifying role of strategic alignment. By providing quantitative effect estimates, this research advances understanding of AI as a technological enabler of BMI and offers actionable guidance for entrepreneurs and policymakers on how BMI can be enhanced through the alignment of AI with distinct strategic goals.

Highlights

  • Advanced causal ML estimates AI’s impact on startups‘ business model innovation.
  • AI-intensive startups exhibit significantly more business model innovation.
  • AI’s effect on BMI is heterogeneous and shaped by startups‘ strategic goals.
  • The impact of AI on BMI is higher in startups aiming for profitability or rapid growth.
  • Pursuing multiple strategic goals amplifies the effect of AI on startup BMI.

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The authors

Nicole Cecchele Lago

Daniel de Abreu Pereira Uhr

Jose Luis Duarte Ribeiro

Prof. Dr. Yasmin Olteanu is Professor of Business Administration/Entrepreneurship at Berliner Hochschule für Technik and Borderstep Research Fellow. Between September 2018 and February 2021, she worked as a researcher in our Sustainable Entrepreneurship focus area.

Prof. Dr. Klaus Fichter is the founder and director of the Borderstep Institute and professor of innovation management and sustainability at Carl von Ossietzky University in Oldenburg. His research focuses on sustainable entrepreneurship, sustainability innovations, start-up ecosystems, green start-ups, and instruments and metrics for measuring effectiveness and impact.

Publisher

Technology in Society

How to cite

Lago, N. C., Abreu Pereira Uhr, D., Ribeiro, J. L. D., Olteanu, Y., & Fichter, K. (2026). The impact of artificial intelligence on startup business model innovation: Exploring conditional effects of different strategic goals. Technology in Society, 85, 17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103215

Borderstep expertise in the research topic of sustainable business models

Borderstep develops concepts and tools for evaluating and further developing business models with regard to sustainability. The focus is on how companies can create both ecological and economic added value.

The institute researches which strategies and structures make sustainable companies successful – from efficiency gains and circular economy concepts to new usage models. This results in practical tools for evaluating the so-called „double dividend.“ These approaches are tested in real markets in cooperation with universities and companies.

The ongoing projects in the research focus area Sustainable Business Models can be found here.

Topics

Sustainable Business Models • Business Model Transformation • Innovation for Sustainability • Diffusion Pathways • Green & Circular Economy • Regenerative Economics

  • Prof. Dr. Yasmin Olteanu, Prof. Dr. Klaus Fichter
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