Market Entry Strategies for Reaching the Critical User Mass of a Digital Platform for Third Mission and Transfer at Universities

Universities make an important contribution to regional development through transfer and third-mission activities. However, the mediation and communication of such activities often poses challenges for stakeholders. To mitigate this, the project Matching Platform for (more than) Student Skills (MPASS) is developing a web-based platform with a recommendation system for university offers. One challenge for successful operation is to reach a critical user mass. Based on a literature review, we identified market entry strategies of 21 successful platforms. Moreover, we derived theses and evaluated them through an expert interview. Based on these findings, nine potential market entry strategies for digital platforms to reach a critical user mass and three recommendations for a platform in the area of transfer and third mission emerged.