Impact of the digital entrepreneurial ecosystem on startup performance : An empirical study from China

Digital innovation and entrepreneurship activities are quite active and developing rapidly in China. However, the ways in which digital startups can efficiently utilise digital entrepreneurship ecosystems (DEEs) to improve their entrepreneurial performance remains unclear. To address this question, this study analysed data from 206 digital start-ups in China and found: 1) Ecological niche and ecological relationship significantly contribute to digital entrepreneurial performance. 2) Resource bricolage and opportunity iteration have a chained mediating effect between DEE and digital entrepreneurial performance. 3) Digital capability has a positive (negative) moderating effect between ecological relationship and resource bricolage (opportunity iteration). Finally, this study explores the implications of these findings and future research directions. © 2024 Elsevier Inc.