Exploring the ascendancy of social capital in entrepreneurial behavior: new insights from mix model perspective in digital healthcare

PurposeDigital healthcare manages to grab considerable attention from people and practitioners to avoid severity and provide quick access to healthcare. Entrepreneurs also adopt the digital healthcare segment as an opportunity; nevertheless, their intentions to participate and encourage innovation in this growing sector are unexplored. Drawing upon the social capital theory and health belief model, the study examines the factors that drive entrepreneurship. A novel model is proposed to comprehend entrepreneurial intentions and behavior entrenched in social capital and other encouraging and dissuading perceptive elements with the moderation of trust in digitalization and entrepreneurial efficacy.Design/methodology/approachThe cross-sectional method is used to collect data through a questionnaire from experienced respondents in China. The valid data comprises 280 respondents, analyzed by partial least square structural equation modeling.FindingsSocial capital significantly influences monetary attitude, and perceived risk and holds an inconsequential association with perceived usefulness, whereas monetary attitude and perceived usefulness meaningfully explain entrepreneurial activities. Perceived risk has a trivial impact on entrepreneurial intention. Entrepreneurial efficacy and trust in digitalization significantly explain entrepreneurial behavior and moderate the positive relationship between intention and behavior.Originality/valueThe present research proposes a novel research model in the context of entrepreneurship rooted in a digitalized world and offering new correlates. It provides valuable insights by exploring entrepreneurial motivation and deterring factors to get involved in startup activities entrenched in social capital, providing guidelines for policymakers and practitioners to promote entrepreneurship.