Abstract
The start-up environment welcomes Rajasthan women entrepreneurs to break societal gender norms while driving economic expansion. Social and economic barriers together with restricted financing options and leadership stereotypes constrain Rajasthan women entrepreneurs from reaching their full potential as business owners. This paper reviews how both official networks including incubators and accelerators and online platforms plus unofficial support from peer groups and family members feed innovation growth among Rajasthan women entrepreneurs. The study uses qualitative interviews of 25 women entrepreneurs and selected stakeholders operating in Jaipur, Udaipur and Jodhpur entrepreneurship clusters to determine specific mechanisms for social capital use in tackling structural barriers.
Primary data reveals that professional sponsors and institutional backers infrequently support women entrepreneurs at business launch. However, women who strongly engage their networks demonstrate better success in funding acquisition and business advancement. First-wave support along with pragmatic help arrives from intense informal networks but businesses that develop extensive formal connections generate professionalism and market access as well as technical expertise. This investigation demonstrates how women-exclusive accelerator centers along with internet resources achieve resource equality specifically when targeting entrepreneurs from rural and lower-tier areas.
The paper discusses policy recommendations centered on startup policy development for women which requires gender sensitivity as well as community-building programs and fund allocation strategies to address gender-based enterprise gaps. The author establishes that developing inclusive networks exceeds being simply an empowerment program because it serves as an essential foundation for sustainable innovation within Rajasthan’s startup landscape.
KEYWORDS
Women Entrepreneurship, Social Networks, Startup Ecosystem, Innovation, Rajasthan.
Rashi Mathur1*, Neha Choudhary2, Prof. B.L Verma3
1,2Research Scholar, Faculty of Commerce, Dept. of Bus. Administration, UCCMS, MLSU, Udaipur-313001, Rajasthan, India
3Professor, Dept. of Bus. Administration, UCCMS, MLSU, Udaipur-313001, Rajasthan, India