Entrepreneurial Ecosystem and Resilience for Women in Tech Businesses

Women in tech face unique challenges such as limited access to funding and resources to societal and cultural biases that undermine their entrepreneurial success. Addressing these obstacles requires targeted support and resilient strategies. Recent literature underscores the importance of resilience in entrepreneurship, highlighting the need for a holistic, multi-level

approach to studying entrepreneurial resilience, particularly for underrepresented groups like women (Korber & McNaughton, 2017). Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated the necessity for resilient entrepreneurial practices, especially in the tech sector (Schepers, Vandekerkhof, & Dillen, 2021). In this context, this PhD project aims to investigate the role of entrepreneurial ecosystems in fostering resilience and enhancing success among women-led tech businesses. The focus will be on how ecosystem support can mitigate challenges and enhance entrepreneurial outcomes for women in technology. Accordingly, this PhD project will be guided by the following objectives:

Research Objectives:

1. To explore the specific challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in the tech industry.

2. To analyse the effectiveness of entrepreneurial ecosystems in providing support and fostering resilience.

3. To develop a comprehensive framework for enhancing resilience among women tech entrepreneurs through ecosystem interventions.

To address these objectives, the potential PhD candidate can draw upon resilience theory and entrepreneurial ecosystem theory building on the foundational works of Isenberg (2010), Stam and Spigel (2016), and Theodoraki & Messeghem (2018). Knowledge of these theories is not a pre-requisite to apply for this PhD.

Methodology:

Following a comprehensive review of existing studies on entrepreneurial ecosystems, resilience, and women's entrepreneurship in tech, the potential PhD student will employ a mixed-methods approach, including

1. Gathering qualitative and quantitative data from women tech entrepreneurs to understand their experiences, challenges, and needs.

2. Analyzing successful women-led tech ventures to identify best practices and resilience-building strategies.

3. Developing and testing ecosystem support interventions aimed at enhancing resilience and entrepreneurial outcomes.

References:

· Duchek, S. (2017). Entrepreneurial resilience: a biographical analysis of successful entrepreneurs. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal.

· Korber, S., & McNaughton, R. (2017). Resilience and entrepreneurship: a systematic literature review. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour & Research.

· Razak, N., Buang, N., & Kosnin, H. (2018). The Influence of Entrepreneurship Education towards the Entrepreneurial Intention in 21st Century Learning. The Journal of Social Sciences Research.

· Schepers, J., Vandekerkhof, P., & Dillen, Y. (2021). The Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on Growth-Oriented SMEs: Building Entrepreneurial Resilience. Sustainability.

· Sharma, S., & Rautela, S. (2021). Entrepreneurial resilience and self-efficacy during global crisis: study of small businesses in a developing economy. Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies.

MSc in business, management or other social science discipline relevant to the topic. Qualitative methodological skills.

This is a self-funded PhD project for UK and International applicants.