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The impact of artificial intelligence on startup business model innovation: exploring conditional effects of different strategic goals

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  • Lago, Nicole Cecchele
  • de Abreu Pereira Uhr, Daniel
  • Duarte Ribeiro, Jose Luis
  • Olteanu, Yasmin
  • Fichter, Klaus

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 AI on BMI and investigates how this effect is conditioned by strategic goals—rapid growth, profitability, market share, and social/environmental impact. 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.

Suggested Citation

  • Lago, Nicole Cecchele & de Abreu Pereira Uhr, Daniel & Duarte Ribeiro, Jose Luis & Olteanu, Yasmin & Fichter, Klaus, 2026. "The impact of artificial intelligence on startup business model innovation: exploring conditional effects of different strategic goals," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:85:y:2026:i:c:s0160791x26000047
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2026.103215
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