Understanding networking behaviors among Indian startups: A qualitative study

Networking plays a pivotal role in achieving business success and mitigating startup failures. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the networking experience of startup entrepreneurs for the growth of their businesses.

A qualitative semi-structured interview was conducted mainly in Bangalore and the Delhi regions of India. Using a cluster sampling method, interviews were held with 36 startup entrepreneurs. These startup owners were mainly from Bangalore and Delhi. The age group, gender, demographic profile, and popular startup sector of these startup owners have also been analyzed in this study. The data were analyzed using Atlas. Ti software.

The qualitative findings revealed four overall themes related to networking, namely, the "role of networking for the success of the startups", "supportive environment for networking", "crucial stages of networking" and "role of past working experience of entrepreneurs". Critically, the study also documents the constraining and exclusionary dimensions of networking, including dependency lock-in, incubator misalignment, and gendered access barriers. India-specific mechanisms-including caste-mediated social capital, family-led network structures, and post-COVID digital micro-networks-are identified as context-specific moderators of these dynamics. It was found that most entrepreneurs leverage prior work experience to interact effectively in business, utilizing skills such as communication, leadership, and market intelligence.

Entrepreneurs mainly prefer networking with colleagues and their ex-bosses in building and creating formal networking. During crises, network members provide expert advice, moral support, and connections to specialists, which helps them solve problems and access new opportunities. Networking is crucial mainly in the early stage of a startup, where connections and relationship structures are needed for navigating upcoming challenges.