Abstract
India’s bioactive food startup space is growing fast, but staying in business is another story. Many of these ventures, despite good ideas and early support, don’t last beyond the first couple of years. This study looks at what really makes the difference between those that survive and those that don’t. We collected data from 160 founders and ran a mix of analyses factor analysis, structural modeling, and logistic regression to find patterns. What stood out was simple: leadership matters more than anything else. Founders with prior experience and the ability to lead adaptive teams were much more likely to succeed. Surprisingly, funding and government support didn’t have as strong an effect. These results suggest that building funds may matter more than offering financial incentives. For investors, entrepreneurs, and policymakers, the takeaway is clear to support the people, not just the products.
doi: 10.17756/jfcn.2025-s2-012
Citation: Gadhavi V, Vekariya H. 2025. Sustainability and Growth of Bioactive Food Startups: Entrepreneurial Insights. J Food Chem Nanotechnol 11(S2): S115-S121.
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