The digital age requires a new type of business model for many companies – the digital ecosystem. Big tech companies such as Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft and Alibaba have become very successful with digital ecosystems. Digitization not only offers the opportunity to gain insights from (customer) data in order to identify trends and develop innovative products and services. Digitalization also offers companies the opportunity to provide their customers with unprecedented product and service combinations through collaborative partnerships with a wide range of different actors. However, the topic of digital ecosystems is also complicated and often leads to misunderstandings, not least because of the lack of uniform definitions in science and practice and the fact that everyone has a slightly different understanding of it.

Although there has been a trend towards digital ecosystems in recent years and there is scientific literature on the subject, practically applicable models for companies are rare.

The maturity model developed in the context of this master's thesis supports companies in determining their maturity level regarding the relevant criteria of digital ecosystems in order to participate in them in the most suitable role. This allows the respective managers to make the relevant decisions and transform the company into a fit organization for digital ecosystems. The Digital Ecosystem Maturity Model (DEMM) therefore makes an important contribution to the long-term preservation of competitive advantages in the digital age.