From mindset to market: unveiling the nexus of cognition, behavior and environment in igniting students’ E-entrepreneurial intentions

PurposeIndia has witnessed a significant surge in internet users in recent years, creating an ideal environment for E-entrepreneurship. With the rise of E-commerce and the growth of the digital economy, there is tremendous potential for online businesses in developing nations. Our study outlines the behavioral, cognitive, and environmental aspects shaping students' E-entrepreneurial intentions (EEI).Design/methodology/approachOur study incorporated structural equation modeling (SEM), social cognitive theory (SCT), and entrepreneurial event model (EEM) to evaluate the EEI of 460 students from India's top five engineering institutes. The direct and indirect linkages in the model were examined by employing mediation and moderation analysis.FindingsOur findings reveal that behavioral, environmental, and cognitive factors facilitate evaluating feasibility, further igniting students' EEI. The cognitive factors and E-entrepreneurial feasibility (EEF) mediate the relationship between the underlying constructs. Furthermore, financial resource availability (FRA) strengthens, and loss aversion bias(LAB) weakens the linkage between EEF and EEM.Research limitations/implicationsThe study's findings may benefit online innovation communities, potential technopreneurs, financial institutions, and policymakers in improving the entrepreneurial ecosystem.Originality/valueThe study integrates psychological and sociological perspectives to understand the key facilitators of EEF and EEI. The study combines SCT and the EEM by appending crucial constructs such as FRA and LAB to broaden the horizons of EEI.