Digital platform business models are disrupting traditional business processes and reveal a new way of creating value. Current validation processes for business models are designed to assess pipeline business models. They cannot grasp the logic of digital platforms, which increasingly integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) to ensure success. This study developed a new validation process for early market validation of digital platform business models by following the Design Science Research methodology. The designed process, the Smart Platform Experiment Cycle (SPEC), is created by combining the Four-Step Iterative Cycle of business experiments, the Customer Development Process, and the Build-Measure-Learn feedback loop of the Lean Startup approach and enriching it with the knowledge of digital platforms. It consists of five iterative steps showing the startup how to design their platform business model and corresponding experiments and how to run, measure, analyze, and learn from the outcomes and results. To assess its efficacy, applicability, and validity, SPEC was applied in the German startup GassiAlarm, a service marketplace business model. The application of SPEC revealed shortcomings in the pricing strategy and highlighted to what extent their current business model would be successful. SPEC reduces the risk of building a product or service the market deems redundant and gives insights into its success rate. More applications of the SPEC are needed to validate its robustness further and to extend it to other types of digital platform business models for improved generalization.

中文翻译：

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智能平台实验周期 (SPEC)：设计、分析和验证数字平台的过程

数字平台业务模式正在颠覆传统业务流程，并揭示一种创造价值的新方式。当前的业务模型验证流程旨在评估管道业务模型。他们无法掌握数字平台的逻辑，这些平台越来越多地集成人工智能 (AI) 以确保成功。本研究遵循设计科学研究方法，为数字平台业务模型的早期市场验证开发了一种新的验证流程。设计的过程，智能平台实验周期 (SPEC)，是通过将业务实验的四步迭代周期、客户开发过程和精益创业方法的构建-测量-学习反馈循环相结合而创建的，并通过数字平台的知识。它由五个迭代步骤组成，向初创公司展示如何设计其平台业务模型和相应的实验，以及如何运行、测量、分析和从结果和结果中学习。为了评估其有效性、适用性和有效性，SPEC 被应用于德国初创公司 GassiAlarm，这是一种服务市场商业模式。SPEC 的应用揭示了定价策略中的缺陷，并突出了他们当前的商业模式在多大程度上会成功。SPEC 降低了构建市场认为多余的产品或服务的风险，并深入了解其成功率。SPEC 需要更多的应用来进一步验证其稳健性，并将其扩展到其他类型的数字平台业务模型以提高泛化能力。