Generativity is a core characteristic of successful digital platforms but the key issue of how generativity on such platforms arises remains little understood. Current understandings focus on the development of innovation on platforms across different stages, leaving mostly unknown the precondition of how the innovative ideas originate in the first place. I address this problem by investigating the origins, conditions, and processes through which serendipitous ideas emerge and actualize, thereby underpinning generativity in digital platform innovation. Drawing on a case study of an Australian SaaS platform company and sensitized by concepts from Busch’s serendipity theory, I identify the fertile ground for serendipitous ideas and the conditions that foster their emergence. Furthermore, I develop a process model that illustrates how platform organization cultivates idea spaces, associates these ideas with innovation opportunities, and materializes them into generative outcomes. My study contributes to the digital innovation literature by offering a processual account of generativity and extends serendipity theory by integrating the role of digital technology in platform ecosystems.
