Digital entrepreneurship in higher education: A structural model based on individual, institutional, and environmental factors

Mohsen Akbari, Milad Hooshmand, Alireza Abbasi Gorji

Article ID: 3891
Vol 3, Issue 1, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.54517/bmtp3891
Received: 17 July 2025; Accepted: 8 September 2025; Available online: 30 December 2025; Issue release: 31 March 2026


Download PDF

Abstract

The rise of the digital economy has reshaped the entrepreneurial landscape, offering new opportunities for university students to engage in innovative ventures. However, despite increased digital exposure, the rate of active digital entrepreneurial engagement among students remains suboptimal, particularly in developing contexts. This study aims to identify and model the key determinants of digital entrepreneurship among university students in Iran. Drawing upon extant literature and expert input, a multi-dimensional conceptual framework was developed, comprising individual factors (e.g., achievement orientation, creativity, risk-taking), institutional factors (e.g., curriculum, faculty, leadership), and environmental factors (e.g., government support, ICT infrastructure). A three-stage mixed-method approach was employed. Initially, 26 indicators were identified through literature review and expert consultation. Subsequently, these were refined to 14 key indicators via a pilot survey of 120 students. Finally, a structural equation model was tested using Smart-PLS on data collected from 387 students at the University of Guilan. The validated model confirms the multidimensional nature of digital entrepreneurship, revealing that institutional and environmental factors significantly amplify individual entrepreneurial traits. Unlike prior studies with narrower scopes, this research offers a holistic strategy framework. The findings provide actionable insights for policymakers and educational leaders to foster digital entrepreneurship through coordinated interventions at personal, university, and policy levels.


Keywords

digital entrepreneurship; university entrepreneurship; entrepreneurship enabling factors; knowledge entrepreneurship


References

1.         Alshebami AS, Fazal SA, Aljarodi AM, et al. The influence of access to technology and digital literacy on digital entrepreneurial intentions. Problems and Perspectives in Management. 2025; 23(3): 1–12. doi: 10.21511/ppm.23(3).2025.01

2.         Wijayanto G, Ayesha I, Wibowo TS, et al. The influence of digital literacy mediation on the effect of entrepreneurship knowledge on technoprenuership. International Journal of Economics, Business and Accounting Research (IJEBAR). 2023; 7(1): 8412.

3.         Mugiono M, Prajanti SDW, Wahyono W. The effect of digital literacy and entrepreneurship education towards online entrepreneurship intention through online business learning and creativity at marketing department in Batang regency. Journal of Economic Education. 2021; 10(1): 21-27.

4.         Dvorakova Z, Polents I. Entrepreneurship education and digital literacy as element of innovative learning. In: Zaramenskikh E, Fedorova A (editos). Digital Transformation and New Challenges. Lecture Notes in Information Systems and Organisation. Springer, Cham; 2021. Volume 45. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-71397-3_19

5.         Lam BQ, Tran HY, Nguyen KA. Digital competence and digital entrepreneurial intention: A social cognitive approach. Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review. 2025; 13(2): 139–153. doi: 10.15678/EBER.2025.130208

6.         Day G, Wensley R. Assessing competitive advantage: A framework for dignosing competitive superiority. Journal of Marketing; 1988; 52(2): 1-20. doi: 10.1177/002224298805200201

7.         Johanson D, Craig JBL, Hildebrand R. Entrepreneurship education: Towards a discipline-based framework. Journal of Management Development. 2006; 25(1): 40–54. doi: 10.1108/02621710610637954

8.         Herbig P, Golden JE, Dunphy S. The relationship of structure to entrepreneurial and innovative success. Marketing Intelligence & Planning. 1994; 12(9): 37–48. doi: 10.1108/02634509410069038

9.         Damanpour F, Wischnevsky JD. Research on innovation in organizations: Distinguishing innovation-generating from innovation-adopting organizations. Journal of Engineering Technology Management. 2006; 23(4): 269–291. doi: 10.1016/J.JENGTECMAN.2006.08.002

10.      Shane S, Venkataraman S. The promise of entrepreneurship as a field of research. Academy of Management Review. 2000; 26(1): 217–226.

11.      Puhakka V. Entrepreneurial Creativity as Discovery and Exploitation of Business Opportunities. In: Burger-Helmchen T (editor). Entrepreneurship - Creativity and Innovative Business Models. InTech; 2012.

12.      Throw J. Media Today, an Introduction to Mass Communication, 3rd edition. Routledge Publications; 2009.

13.      Roberts E. Entrepreneurs in High Technology: Lessons from MIT and Beyond. Oxford University Press; 1991.

14.      O’Reilly T. What is web 2.0: Design patterns and business models for the next generation of software. Communications & Strategies. 2007; 1: 17.

15.      Rosenbaum H, Cronin B. Digital entrepreneurship: Doing business on the information superhighway. International Journal of Information Management. 1993; 13(6): 461–463. doi: 10.1016/0268-4012(93)90062-9

16.      Tapscott D. The Digital Economy: Promise and Peril in the Age of Network Intelligence. New York: McGraw-Hill; 1996.

17.      Brynjolfsson E, Kahin B. Understanding the Digital Economy. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press; 2002.

18.      Davidson E, Vaast E. Digital Entrepreneurship and its Sociomaterial Enactment. In: Proceedings of the 43rd Hawaii International Conference on System Science; 2010. pp. 1–10.

19.      Sitaridis I, Kitsios F. Digital entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education: A review of the literature. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research. 2024; 30(2/3): 277–304. doi: 10.1108/IJEBR-01-2023-0053

20.      Zhang J, van Gorp D, Kievit H. Digital technology and national entrepreneurship: An ecosystem perspective. The Journal of Technology Transfer. 2023; 48(3): 1077–1105. doi: 10.1007/s10961-022-09934-0

21.      Dana LP, Crocco E, Culasso F, Giacosa E. Mapping the field of digital entrepreneurship: A topic modeling approach. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal. 2024; 20(2): 1011–1045. doi: 10.1007/s11365-023-00926-6

22.      Sutiadiningsih A, Dewi IH, Ratnasari W, et al. How do digital competencies promote entrepreneurial intention among vocational students? A mediation analysis of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial mindset. Taylor & Francis Group; 2025.  doi: 10.1080/2331186X.2025.2482486

23.      Fuzi SF, Zahidi NE, Halim BA, et al. Investigating the interplay of motivational access, physical access and digital skills access to ICT on Internet usage diversity. Information Management and Business Review. 2025; 17(1): 297-313. doi: 10.22610/imbr.v17i1(I)S.4406

24.      Ajzen I. The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 1991; 50(2): 179–211. doi: 10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T

25.      Bandura A. Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall; 1986.

26.      Ferrari A. DIGCOMP: A Framework for Developing and Understanding Digital Competence in Europe. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union; 2013.

27.      Ademi L, Ramadani V, Ibraimi S, Idrizi S. Factors affecting young people’s intentions to engage in digital entrepreneurship. International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behavior & Research. 2025; 4(1): 83–105.

28.      Mowery D, Nelson R, Sampat B, Ziedonis A. Ivory Tower and Industrial Innovation. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press; 2004.

29.      Rothaermel FT, Agung SD, Jiang L. University entrepreneurship: A taxonomy of the literature. Industrial and Corporate Change. 2007; 16(4): 691–791. doi: 10.1093/icc/dtm023

30.      Von Hippel E. The Sources of Innovation. New York: Oxford University Press; 1988.

31.      Debackere K, Veugelers R. The role of academic technology transfer organizations in improving industry science links. Research Policy. 2005; 34(3): 321–342.

32.      Collins S, Wakoh H. Universities and technology transfer in Japan: Recent reforms in historical perspective. Journal of Technology Transfer. 2000; 25(2): 213–222.

33.      Amiri A, Moradi Y. Students’ entrepreneurial attitudes and its barriers (Persian). Journal of Research and Planning in Higher Education. 2008; 49: 46–66.

34.      D’Este P, Mahdi S, Neely A, Rentocchini F. Inventors and entrepreneurs in academia: What types of skills and experience matter? Technovation. 2012; 32(5): 293–303.

35.      Nasri BS. The role of social media usage in mediating digital entrepreneurship interest. STIE YKPN Repository; 2025.

36.      Cogollo Dueñas JF, Mendivil Hernández P, González Sánchez E, Bravo Chadid NJ. Entrepreneurship model for the assessment of entrepreneurial potential using digital tools. Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental. 2024; 18(12): e09893. doi: 10.24857/rgsa.v18n12-137

37.      Rožman M, Oreški D, Elias A, Pynadath MF. AI literacy and digital preparedness among students. In: IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference; 2025.

38.      Dube K, Booysen RM, Chili M. Redefining education and development: Innovative approaches in the era of sustainable goals. In: Dube K (editor). Redefining Education and Development. Springer, Cham; 2024. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-69954-2_1

39.      Wirtz BW, Schilke O, Ullrich S. Strategic development of business models: Implications of the Web 2.0 for creating value on the internet. Long Range Planning. 2010; 43: 272–290. doi: 10.1016/j.lrp.2010.01.005

40.      Etzkowitz H. Research groups as ‘quasi-firms’: The invention of the entrepreneurial university. Research Policy. 2003; 32(1): 109–121. doi: 10.1016/S0048-7333(02)00009-4

41.      Conceicao P, Heitor M, Oliveira P. University-based technology licensing in the knowledge-based economy. Technovation. 1998; 18(10): 615–625. doi: 10.1016/s0166-4972(98)00051-0

42.      Thompson M, MacInnis D, Park CW. The ties that bind: Measuring the strength of consumers’ emotional attachments to brand. Journal of Consumer Psychology. 2005; 15(1): 77–91. doi: 10.1207/S15327663JCP1501_10

43.      Diamantopoulos A, Sarstedt M, Fuchs C, et al. Guidelines for choosing between multi-item and single-item scales for construct measurement: A predictive validity perspective. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science. 2012; 40(3): 434–449. doi: 10.1007/s11747-011-0300-3

44.      Cronbach L. Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika. 1951; 16: 297–334. doi: 10.1007/BF02310555

45.      Nunnally J. Psychometric Theory. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 1978.

46.      Fornell C, Larcker D. Structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research. 1981; 18(1): 39–50. doi: 10.1177/002224378101800313

47.      Chin W. Issues and opinion on structural equation modeling. MIS Quarterly. 1998; 22(1): 7–16.

48.      Henseler J, Ringle C, Sinkovics R. The use of partial least squares path modeling in international marketing. In:Sinkovics RR, Ghauri PZ (editors). New Challenges to International Marketing. Emerald Group Publishing Limited; 2009. pp. 277–320. doi: 10.1108/S1474-7979(2009)0000020014

49.      Grewal R, Cote JA, Baumagartner H. Multicollinearity and measurement error in structural equation models: Implications for theory testing. Marketing Science. 2004; 23(4): 519–529. doi: 10.1287/mksc.1040.0070

50.      Akbari M, Omrane A, Nikookar-Gohari H, Ranji E. The impact of transformational leadership on CWBs: The moderating effect of management level in a developing country. Transnational Corporations Review. 2022; 15(2): 1–22. doi: 10.1016/j.tncr.2023.09.004

51.      Akbari M, Omrane A, Hoseinzadeh A, Nikookar H. Effects of innovation on corporate performance of manufacturing companies: Which roles associated to social responsibility? Transnational Corporations Review. 2022; 14(4): 438–453. doi: 10.1080/19186444.2021.1940055

Supporting Agencies

None



Copyright (c) 2025 Author(s)

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.


This site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).