Open government data offers great potential for innovation and growth in various sectors of societal life. The use of open data is expected to power the development of new or enhanced services and products. However, in practice service innovation on the basis of open data is in its infancy; furthermore, there is limited knowledge about the adoption of open data by businesses. This study investigates: What are the driving factors of open data adoption by businesses for service innovation? To get insights into this issue we conduct a survey of businesses in Sweden and the Netherlands who have experimented with open data. Our study is explorative since open data innovation is an emerging research direction. We find that the driving factors motivating businesses to innovate with open data differ widely, however on average innovativeness of the company and its expertise and skills play an important role. We also conclude that facilitating conditions are viewed by businesses as an influential driver, but they are not given enough attention by data providers.