In response to investigating the role of IT on entrepreneurs, this research increases the understanding of the impact of online social capital created and developed on social media platforms regarding the entrepreneurial opportunity process of nascent female entrepreneurs. To fulfill that, this research employed the mixed-method approach allowing two phases to complement and prevent unjustified findings. In the two phases, a multilevel model that incorporates entrepreneurial capacity and resource acquisition as mediating variables is created, justified, and investigated. In the first phase, the researchers use Natural Language Processing (NLP) by analyzing big data on social media communities, followed by a quantitative confirmatory study using SmartPLS 3.3 in the second phase. Results show that nascent female entrepreneurs use online social capital, especially bridging social capital, to develop their entrepreneurial capacity and to access resources, both necessary to recognize and exploit entrepreneurial opportunities.

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Despite its recognition as a resilience strategy, there is a scarcity of research on business model innovation (BMI) in micro and small enterprises in emerging economies. Business model innovation drivers in micro and small enterprises may differ from those in large firms in developed economies. In micro and small businesses, BMI is determined by the dynamic capabilities of the business, as well as the ability of the business owner to reconfigure and exploit its resources in a way that creates market value. This is one of few studies that connects the concepts of social capital and  market orientation to explain business model innovation and its consequences in a turbulent business environment. This study investigates the impact of managerial ties, business owner market orientation and perceived environmental uncertainty as drivers to BMI. Also, it investigates the effect of BMI on business performance. The results of analyzing the responses of 426 micro and small enterprises by Smart PLS 3.3 show that business model innovation mediates the relationship between business ties and business performance. Surprisingly, the results proved that micro and small business owners adopting reactive market orientation, contribute to BMI more than those adopting proactive market orientation. The findings emphasize the importance of micro and small business owner in driving BMI. This study ensures that BMI is a function of how resources can be deployed and configured dynamically to generate value.