Failure Factors of Platform Start-ups: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Purpose: The quantity of platform start-ups is rising consistently. Nonetheless, it has been discovered that a large number of the new businesses crash and burn toward the starting stages and the greater part of them fall flat in under five years. The reasons for such failure are still to be uncovered in a systematic way. While there are adequate investigations that have independently propounded different reasons, this study aims to examine these reasons together by proposing a theoretical structure that will recognize the elements impacting the failure of platform start-ups.

Methodology: An extensive systematic literature review was led to uncover and examine the different elements answerable for the failure of such platforms. A sum of 113 scholarly and non-scholastic sources were inspected and broke down to distinguish the basic elements.

Findings/Contribution: For platform failure, three classes have been revealed including organizational, business model innovation, and environmental. In addition, 29 basic elements have been identified and classified into six categories while concentrating on similar ramifications. Utilizing the recognized components, the authors have proposed a map. This map uncovers that different elements are liable for platform failure. Media platform start-ups can be profited to a great extent from this study.