Abstract
While entrepreneurial ecosystems research has increasingly discussed inclusivity and systemic barriers facing women or racial minorities, it has largely overlooked how invisible inequalities restrict marginalized entrepreneurs. In this study, we focus on Dalits, a historically marginalized community in India facing invisible inequality (on caste lines), to examine how such inequalities manifest in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, turning the ecosystem into a non-cooperative space, and how marginalized entrepreneurs navigate such non-cooperative spaces. Drawing on qualitative interviews with entrepreneurs and other ecosystem actors within the Dalit community, we identify three ways in which invisible inequalities manifest in the entrepreneurial ecosystem: moral disqualification in economic opportunities, relational gatekeeping in entrepreneurial networks, and undermining social credibility. Furthermore, we find that marginalized entrepreneurs navigate this non-cooperative space by implementing three micro-practices: advocacy for targeted efforts, creation of alternate spaces, and clientelism. We contribute to research on the entrepreneurial ecosystem, entrepreneurship by marginalized groups, and caste in management.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-43 |
| Number of pages | 43 |
| Journal | Business & Society |
| Early online date | 31 Dec 2025 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 31 Dec 2025 |
Acknowledgements
We extend our sincere gratitude to the Dalit entrepreneurs who generously shared their time, experiences, and insights for this research. Without their voices, this work would not have been possible. We extend our sincere gratitude to the reviewers and editor, who helped us develop this paper. We are also grateful to Hari Bapuji, Paul Lassalle, Carolyn McMillan, Amparo Merino de Diego, Vaibhav Surwade, and Sumeet Mhaskar for thoughtful discussions and insightful comments on research. An earlier version of the work was presented at the 1st Global Conference on Caste, Business and Society (2023) and at EGOS 2025. We are thankful to the participants whose feedback and engagement enriched the development of this research.Funding
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Keywords
- Dalit
- caste
- entrepreneurial ecosystem
- invisible inequality
- microfoundations
- non-cooperative spaces
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Business, Management and Accounting (miscellaneous)
- Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
