DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE
Ph.D. Thesis Colloquium
Mrs. Anusha Sabhahit
(Research Supervisor: Prof. M H Bala Subrahmanya)
Entitled:
Embeddedness in Indian Tech Startups: An empirical study of Antecedents, Configuration, and Impact of Networking
Venue: Seminar Hall, Department of Management Studies
Date: Tuesday, 10th June 2025 at 03:30 PM
Abstract
It is widely known that tech startups have been receiving increasing attention of both policymakers and empirical researchers across the globe, in the recent decades. Among others, it is the networking ability of startup founders which is considered crucial for startup emergence, sustenance, and growth. Given this, the present study examines the key constructs of tech startup networking phenomenon in the context of India. We explore: 1) Network dynamics over the tech startup’s lifecycle stages; 2a) Optimum network configuration for the entrepreneurial process of opportunity recognition and resource mobilisation, 2b) Interaction effect of entrepreneurial motivation on the network embeddedness; 3) The network’s role in the tech startups’ propensity to protect innovation and make their first international expansion; and 4) The influence of networks on the tech startups’ lifecycle stages.
To study the networking phenomenon over a tech startup’s lifecycle, at the outset, we define the networks in terms of network embeddedness, i.e., measured using structural and relational embeddedness. Structural embeddedness is measured using network efficiency calculated using the H-H index. Relational embeddedness is calculated using the strength of ties. We gathered data through a semi-structured questionnaire and in-depth interviews with the founders/CEOs of 98 startups located across India. We find that the network efficiency and weak ties vary with the tech startup’s lifecycle stage. However, strong ties are significant across all the stages of a startup. Further, a high network efficiency does not contribute to identifying lucrative opportunities; instead, strong ties are helpful. However, for a startup whose primary purpose is to gather resources, lower network efficiency turned out to be more useful than high network efficiency, and relationally, both strong ties and weak ties are essential for accumulating key resources. Further, our study finds the moderating effect of entrepreneurial motivation on the networks for executing the entrepreneurial process. Moreover, the information and resources thus obtained through networks play a deterministic role in the speed of applying for a patent and making the first international market entry. Lastly, the different networks of tech startups influence lifecycle stage differently. Based on the analyses, we derive appropriate managerial and policy implications encouraging networking for startup growth.
ALL ARE WELCOME