Entrepreneurial bricolage: crowdfunding for female entrepreneurs during COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Purpose The crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic has had unprecedented effects around the world and particularly on vulnerable populations, such as female entrepreneurs in developing countries. They are facing a new normal, characterized by high uncertainty and resource constraints. This paper aims to use the experiential learning theory applied to entrepreneurship to propose the entrepreneurial bricolage approach to study how female entrepreneurs can overcome this type of crisis. Design/methodology/approach Within the research designs of conceptual papers, the study is situated within the model approach because the authors propose novel relationships between constructs to answer the research questions through the development of theoretical propositions. Findings The analysis suggests that the entrepreneurial bricolage process represents a type of strategy that allows these women to adapt to this new normal. Based on this approach, the authors suggest that crowdfunding represents a financial resource at hand for both pre-existing female entrepreneurs and new female entrepreneurs. Practical implications The theoretical implications suggest an alternative conceptual framework of the entrepreneurial bricolage process to analyse the female entrepreneurial activity in developing countries and during crisis’ contexts. The managerial implications suggest that crowdfunding is a financial resource at hand for female entrepreneurs that allow them to perform well, innovate or implement growth strategies and have more chances of surviving and growing during the crisis. Finally, the policy implications are oriented to the promotion of this kind of financial alternative and the generation of trust for users, along with the strengthening of a regulatory framework to attract more investors and entrepreneurs. Originality/value This study provides useful information on how the crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic has been affecting female entrepreneurs in developing countries. It also expands on the literature on crowdfunding in terms of its advantages as a non-traditional funding source for women.

Who is brave enough to start a new business during the Covid-19 pandemic?

“…Besides, our study has demonstrated the possible usage of existing theoretical approaches mapping entrepreneurship and crisis nexus, such as entrepreneurial bricolage (Tsilika et al ., 2020; Alva et al ., 2021), black swan events (Cowling et al ., 2020; Mironko, 2021), push and pull entrepreneurship (Dawson and Henley, 2012; Dayour and Adam, 2022) or crisis management theories (Cortez and Johnston, 2020; Zhang et al ., 2023), to understand the role of Covid-19 pandemic as a disruptive event. Our main takeaway was that the existing theories and concepts are well applicable to the Covid-19 pandemic, and help us to form expectations about entrepreneurial behaviour and its subsequent development in the post-pandemic years.…”

Usługi w czasach COVID-19.Strukturalny i ilościowy obraz przedsiębiorczości kobiet w miastach na prawach powiatu w województwie dolnośląskim

“…Należy jednak odnotować, że powstały już opracowania niezwykle wartościowe, odnoszące się do tematyki szeroko rozumianej przedsiębiorczości indywidulanej (Piekutowska, 2021), również w kontekście wywieranego na nią ekonomicznego wpływu epidemii (Pietrasieński, 2021) oraz przedsiębiorczości kobiet w perspektywie prowadzenia biznesu w niespokojnych i kryzysowych czasach pandemii COVID-19, m.in. na rynkach wschodzących, w Irlandii, w Egipcie czy w Rosji (Kogut, Mejri, 2022;Stephens, 2021;Salman, 2021, Burowa, 2021, z wykorzystaniem finansowania społecznościowego (Alva, 2021), w perspektywie wpływu koronakryzysu na przeżywalność założonych firm (Hyland, 2021;Amandla, Beharry -Ramraj, 2022). Jednocześnie jest niemal pewne, że w najbliższych latach nie zabraknie tematów dotyczących wpływu pandemii koronawirusa na różne aspekty ludzkiego życia.…”

UK Equity Crowdfunding Success: The Impact of Competition, Brexit and Covid‐19

“…Research on the Covid-19 pandemic and crowdfunding has focused on the effects of government policy (i.e. lockdowns) (McKitrick et al, 2021) and crisis recovery (Alva, Vivas and Urcia, 2021). Due to societal challenges, empirical studies have concentrated on crowdfunding campaigns as a way to pay for medical expenses rather than investment opportunities (Igra et al, 2021).…”