A robust literature has provided compelling evidence showing how digital transformation impacts entrepreneurship activity. However, only a paucity of research has linked adoption of new technologies to innovation, value creation, knowledge transfer and performance across different stages of the entrepreneurial growth continuum. This special issue fills this gap in the literature by focusing on if, how and why adoption of digital technologies and embeddedness in the digital entrepreneurial ecosystem enhances innovative activity and firm performance during the early and later stages of market entry. In particular, this special issue examines how digital transformation facilitates entrepreneurial, innovation, and social outputs along the entrepreneurial journey as well as why and how digital technologies may facilitate the interaction between economic agents and re-combination of internal resources and capabilities with those available externally. In doing so, this special issue unpacks a nuanced relationship between the diversity of new technologies and knowledge, their suitability and applicability for entrepreneurship and at different growth stages. This study offers policy implications and future research roadmap.

大量文献提供了令人信服的证据，表明数字化转型如何影响创业活动。然而，只有很少的研究将新技术的采用与创业成长连续体不同阶段的创新、价值创造、知识转移和绩效联系起来。本期特刊填补了文献中的这一空白，重点关注数字技术的采用和数字创业生态系统的嵌入是否、如何以及为何能够增强市场进入早期和后期的创新活动和公司绩效。本期特刊特别探讨了数字化转型如何促进创业、创新、创业历程中的社会产出，以及数字技术为何以及如何促进经济主体之间的互动以及内部资源和能力与外部可用资源和能力的重新组合。为此，本期特刊揭示了新技术和知识的多样性、它们对创业和不同成长阶段的适宜性和适用性之间的微妙关系。这项研究提供了政策含义和未来的研究路线图。