Assistant Professor Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad
Digital technologies play an important role in fostering and sustaining inclusiveness in entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs). This study explores the interplay between EEs and technology in shaping inclusive infrastructures within rural India, drawing on the theoretical framework of assemblage theory. We employ a longitudinal case study from 2020-2024 of Frontier Markets, a social e-commerce firm operating in Indian rural markets. We investigate how EEs and technology interact to co-construct inclusive infrastructures, which evolve as emergent outcomes shaped by the continuous progression of these assemblages. We present our preliminary findings in this paper. First, we position the interaction between EEs and technology as an interconnected, intermediate-scale entity that embodies and facilitates inclusive infrastructures' structural and functional dimensions. Second, we trace the coevolution of EEs and technology through iterative processes of territorialization (stabilization) and deterritorialization (disruption), operating across multiple levels within the assemblage. Finally, we emphasize these processes' dynamic and iterative nature, arguing that entrepreneurial ecosystems must continuously balance stability with adaptability to sustain inclusive development. We contribute to literary discussions on EEs and the role of digital technologies in making them inclusive ecosystems. Our findings offer actionable insights for policymakers to design inclusive entrepreneurial policies, for organizations to empower women through localized interventions, and for technology to develop community-oriented tools with user-friendly interfaces.
