Purpose Two or multi-sided platforms - defined as those companies that aim to connect two or more groups of customers leveraging the opportunities provided by indirect network externalities – got massive attention from both scholars and practitioners over the last decade. Entrepreneurship scholars mainly focused on the platform's ability to enable entrepreneurial ventures for the complementors' side, exploring the network-centric view. This study aims to expand it by exploring the broader influence that sides can have on the platform provider's entrepreneurial decisions over time, during the evolution of the two-sided platform. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a longitudinal single case study developed over five years. The research presents the born and evolution of Friendz, an Italian two-sided platform. Findings The research presents a four-phases evolution process that shows how the entrepreneurs may first leverage an existing platform to develop a new venture and then develop his/her own two-sided platform. In this latter phase, the findings show how the sides may actually influence the platform provider's entrepreneurial decisions, both in terms of value proposition design, but also regarding the creation of new ventures. Research limitations/implications The study contributes to the two-sided platform literature highlighting new evolutionary paths that expand current literature and highlight the doubling platform approach. Moreover, it contributes to the entrepreneurship literature offering a novel perspective on the entrepreneurial dynamics in two-sided platforms by re-balancing the power between the platform provider and the sides within the double network-centric view. Practical implications From a practitioners' perspective, this study offers an evolutionary path and specific tactics related to the evolution of an entrepreneurial venture based on a two-sided platforms that may inspire entrepreneurs working on two-sided platforms on how to use existing platforms and on the management of sides and the value propositions used to target them. Originality/value This study takes a novel perspective at the intersection between platforms and entrepreneurship literature streams, exploring the power that sides have over the platform provider in shaping the platform's entrepreneurial evolution. In doing so, it proposes a double network view on two-sided platforms and highlights three network-related tensions that can guide the evolution of the two-sided platforms.

中文翻译：

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双边平台中的创业动态：Friendz 案例中双方的影响

目的 双边或多边平台——定义为那些旨在利用间接网络外部性提供的机会连接两组或更多组客户的公司——在过去十年中受到了学者和从业者的广泛关注。创业学者主要关注平台赋能互补方创业的能力，探索以网络为中心的观点。本研究旨在通过探索双方在双边平台发展过程中随着时间的推移对平台提供商的创业决策产生的更广泛影响来扩展它。设计/方法/方法 该研究基于五年来开发的纵向单一案例研究。该研究展示了意大利双面平台 Friendz 的诞生和演变。调查结果 该研究展示了一个四个阶段的演变过程，展示了企业家如何首先利用现有平台开发新企业，然后开发他/她自己的双边平台。在后一阶段，调查结果显示双方实际上如何影响平台提供商的创业决策，无论是在价值主张设计方面，还是在新企业的创建方面。研究局限性/影响 该研究有助于双边平台文献突出新的进化路径，这些路径扩展了当前文献并突出了双平台方法。而且，它通过在以网络为中心的双重观点中重新平衡平台提供商和双方之间的权力，为创业文献提供了关于双边平台创业动态的新视角。实际意义 从从业者的角度来看，本研究提供了与基于双边平台的创业企业发展相关的演进路径和具体策略，可能会启发在双边平台上工作的企业家如何使用现有平台和双方的管理以及用于针对他们的价值主张。独创性/价值本研究从平台和创业文献流之间的交叉点采取了新颖的视角，探索双方在塑造平台创业演进过程中对平台提供商的影响力。在此过程中，它提出了双边平台的双重网络观，并强调了三个与网络相关的张力，可以指导双边平台的演进。