The modern digital economy leads to the need to provide big corporations with advanced IT solutions, which contributed to the creation of captive IT units working for the digital needs of parent corporations. However, the policy of import substitution and government directives in Russia are changing the direction of activity of such captives, focusing them on the commercialization of the internal industry-specific IT solutions. The research is aimed to identify the scope, benefits, and limitations of such commercialization and prove the necessity of applying the innovation ecosystem approach to the commercialization process. The authors conducted in-depth interview in IT captives of Russian real economy companies. The results are systematized and recommendations for IT captives are offered. The article reflects the key factors influencing successful commercialization, as well as the role of partnerships and collaboration within the ecosystem. This will not only improve the efficiency of IT units, but also create a sustainable model for further development and innovation in the Russian economy.