Impact of Internal and External Factors on the Success of Digital Entrepreneurs in Emerging Economies an Interactional Intersectional Approach

Abstract

Digital entrepreneurship has increased exponentially in recent years, especially in emerging economies. Academic interest in this field has also peaked in recent years, which is evident from the number of scholars who have studied various dimensions of digital entrepreneurship. However, the definition of the success of digital entrepreneurs, or the factors that influence it, does not seem to have matured in extant literature. In addition, there is scant literature on the factors that moderate the impact of such components on the success of digital entrepreneurs. newlineThis study examines internal and external factors impacting digital entrepreneurial success, through the lens of interactional intersectionality, to arrive at a robust framework for understanding the components that impact digital entrepreneurial success. This study uses constructs and scales from literature to conduct a pilot survey among digital entrepreneurs. In-depth interviews are conducted with entrepreneurs who started their digital ventures in different sectors, along with surveys from practicing digital entrepreneurs. newlineAnalysis of the pilot study identified distinct components that impact digital entrepreneurial success. This research helped understand the factors that impact digital entrepreneurial success through a proposed framework. Moreover, this study investigates the interactions and moderating role of intersectionality and domain entry on the impact of internal and external factors on digital entrepreneurial success. This study contributes to academia in multiple ways. An important contribution is adding value to extant literature by providing a consolidated understanding of the impact of internal and external factors on digital entrepreneurial success, moderated by interaction of intersectionality and domain entry. A major newlinecontribution is to advance the research of Daspit et al. (2023) by empirically enhancing the theoretical perspective on entrepreneurial mindset theory. A strong entrepreneurial mind is more likely to generate new op