Digital platforms and entrepreneurial support: a field experiment in online mentoring

• Published in: Small business economics 2023-08, Vol.61 (2), p.631-654
• Main Authors: Lall, Saurabh A., Chen, Li-Wei, Mason, Dyana P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Business and Management; Entrepreneurs; Entrepreneurship; Industrial Organization; Intervention; Management; Mentoring; Mentors; Microeconomics; Social cognitive theory; Women
• ISSN: 0921-898X; 1573-0913; 1573-0913
• DOI: 10.1007/s11187-022-00704-8

The benefits of entrepreneurial mentorship are well documented, but there is limited research on how entrepreneurs connect with mentors, especially in digital settings. We partnered with an online platform that connects entrepreneurs to potential mentors to conduct a field experiment in online mentoring. Drawing on literature on entrepreneurial mentorship and Social Cognitive Theory, we compared the effects of three interventions on the likelihood of reaching out and making a connection with a mentor in a digital setting. We find that showing entrepreneurs a video of a successful mentor–mentee relationship increases the chances that they will reach out to a potential mentor but does not improve their chances of making a connection. These findings are more pronounced for female entrepreneurs. While not all entrepreneurs adopt the offered interventions, those that make the effort to learn to navigate the online platform and craft a suitable introductory message are successful in establishing a mentoring connection. We discuss these implications for both theory and practice. Plain English Summary Showing entrepreneurs an example of a successful mentor–mentee relationship makes them more likely to reach out to a potential mentor, and even more so for women entrepreneurs. Additionally, entrepreneurs that make the effort to learn to navigate an online mentoring platform and craft a suitable introductory message are successful in establishing a mentoring connection. We partnered with a global online platform to test three interventions to encourage entrepreneurs to reach out to mentors. However, since many entrepreneurs did not take up the offered interventions, the real-world implications of these approaches are less positive, and overall result in few connections with mentors. We suggest that requiring entrepreneurs to undertake some basic training before engaging on online platforms may increase the barrier to entry but can ultimately lead to more meaningful connections with mentors.