Do entrepreneurial networks improve firm performance? The mediating role of business model innovation in emerging agri-tech start-ups in India

This study examines the relationships among entrepreneurial networks (EN), business model innovation (BMI), and firm performance (FP) in Indian agri-tech start-ups. Drawing on the Resource-Based View and Dynamic Capabilities Theory, the study investigates the direct effects of entrepreneurial networking on business model innovation and firm performance, as well as the mediating and moderating roles of business model innovation. Data were collected from 49 Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)-recognised agri-tech start-ups and analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The results show that entrepreneurial networking has a positive and significant effect on business model innovation. However, entrepreneurial networking does not significantly influence firm performance, while business model innovation neither affects firm performance nor mediates or moderates the networking–performance relationship. The findings suggest that entrepreneurial networks primarily strengthen innovation capabilities rather than directly improving performance. The study contributes to entrepreneurship and innovation research by providing evidence from the underexplored context of Indian agri-tech start-ups.