Business-incubation as a catalyst for start-up success in emerging markets: Entrepreneurial bricolage versus dynamic capabilities
Article Date: 30 Mar 2026
Article URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00472778.2026.2645919?af=R
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Summary
This empirical study (survey of 403 start-ups registered with Kerala Startup Mission, India) tests how entrepreneurial bricolage and dynamic capabilities affect start-up performance in an emerging-market context, and whether business incubation moderates those relationships. The authors find that both bricolage and dynamic capabilities boost performance, but dynamic capabilities have a stronger effect. Crucially, incubator support significantly strengthens the positive impact of dynamic capabilities on performance, while it does not significantly amplify the benefits of pure bricolage. The paper argues incubators help ventures move from short-term improvisation to longer-term capability building, with implications for founders, incubator managers and policymakers.
Key Points
- Study sample: 403 start-ups from Kerala (India), drawn from the Kerala Startup Mission network.
- Bricolage (making do with scarce resources) positively affects start-up performance but explains less variance than dynamic capabilities.
- Dynamic capabilities (sensing, seizing, reconfiguring) have a stronger positive effect on performance (c. 35% vs bricolage c. 20%).
- Business incubation has a direct positive effect on performance and importantly moderates the dynamic capabilities → performance relationship (incubation amplifies the benefit).
- Incubation does not significantly moderate the effect of bricolage on performance — incubators help ventures develop forward-looking capabilities rather than merely improve improvisation.
- Policy/practical takeaway: in emerging markets, directing incubator resources toward capability accumulation (not just short-term survival tactics) better supports scaling and long-term growth.
Context and relevance
The paper sits at the intersection of entrepreneurship in resource-poor settings and incubation policy. It responds to debates about whether start-ups in emerging markets should focus on bricolage or invest early in dynamic capabilities. By using a sizeable sample within a mission-driven incubator ecosystem (KSUM), the research shows that incubators can help start-ups leapfrog from survival improvisation to scalable capability development—an important insight for regions aiming to scale tech and STEM start-ups despite institutional and resource constraints.
Why should I read this?
Quick and useful: if you work with start-ups, run an incubator, or shape policy in emerging markets, this paper tells you where to put the effort. In plain terms — making do (bricolage) helps you survive; building dynamic capabilities helps you grow. And incubators? They don’t just give desks and wifi — they actually turbo-charge the growth stuff. Read it if you want evidence-backed guidance on how incubation programmes should be designed to get start-ups to scale, not just survive.
Implications (brief)
For policymakers: fund incubators that prioritise mentoring, networks and capability-building programmes. For incubator managers: focus services on sensing/seizing/reconfiguring skills, not only on short-term fixes. For founders: use bricolage early, but seek incubator support to build dynamic capabilities for sustained growth.
Source
Source: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00472778.2026.2645919?af=R