Title: Technopreneurship in startups and understanding their entrepreneurial mindset: an empirical evidence

Authors: Emily Maria K. Jose; Bijay Prasad Kushwaha

Addresses: VIT Business School, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, India ' VIT Business School, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, India

Abstract: The prevalence of an individual's entrepreneurial mindset towards technopreneurship has experienced a significant surge because of the ongoing technological transformation within startup companies. Based on the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model, this study aims to investigate the moderating effects of the entrepreneurial mindset. A pilot study was initially conducted with 70 technopreneurs to validate a 27-item scale, followed by a larger survey with 405 participants. Using a non-probability snowball sampling technique, data were collected from startup entrepreneurs nationwide. The analysis was performed using IBM SPSS for demographic profiling and SmartPLS for structural equation modelling. The findings of this study show that within the UTAUT model, behavioural intention serves as a partial mediator. At the same time, the entrepreneurial mindset exerts a negative influence due to risk-taking and innovation, which are characteristic traits of a robust entrepreneurial mindset. These qualities may sometimes hinder the pragmatic considerations necessary for translating intentions into tangible actions within the realm of technology-driven ventures. These empirical insights have significant implications for startup ecosystem leaders and for cultivating supportive networks to ease successful technology adoption.

Keywords: entrepreneurial mindset; innovation; startup; technology; technopreneurship; unified theory of acceptance and use of technology; UTAUT.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMED.2024.142302

International Journal of Management and Enterprise Development, 2024 Vol.23 No.4, pp.335 - 354

Received: 25 May 2024
Accepted: 12 Aug 2024
Published online: 18 Oct 2024 *

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