Harnessing Digital Twins for Fostering City-Scale Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: Extending a Case Study of Melbourne

This article considers the utility of deploying a digital twin (DT) as a third way for governments to support local entrepreneurial ecosystems. We investigate the function of a digital twin in coordinating, predicting, and enabling a multi-stakeholder ubiquitous knowledge system to foster innovation inside the city through a city-specific case study. Conceptually, we take an ecosystem approach that underlines the interconnectedness of human and non-human actors and agencies within this system and is based on the idea of complex adaptive systems. We use this method to comprehend the linked difficulties the entrepreneurial ecosystem faces in Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. We investigate the function of an entrepreneurial ecosystem digital twin (EEDT) in addressing the issues of wealth recycling and talent attraction that are highlighted in this case study. To provide specificity on how this achieved, we articulate the architecture of an EEDT using a multilayered approach that distinguishes between actions ranging from data aggregation to policy governance. The EEDT architecture described incorporates attributes of modularity, scalability, and a high degree of customisability, making it adaptable to different entrepreneurial ecosystems with varying needs and characteristics. Finally, we emphasise that an EEDT is not trouble-free and that concerns about the inevitable data politics are raised by its substantial dependence on automation and data.