Female Start-Ups in Italy: A Relational Capital Perspective

Relational capital is a vital asset of the contemporary economy, and it refers to the sum of relations between companies and the external environment and stakeholders to create value. Relational capital is particularly relevant when it comes to start-ups as well as female entrepreneurship. We aim to analyze the role of relational capital in female entrepreneurship, especially start-ups, taking into consideration the Italian context during the financial crisis (years 2011-2012). Our study employs a mixed-method approach analyzing first data from a Regional program to enhance the creation of new companies, trying to understand the issues of potential entrepreneurs in general and women in particular. Then, a specific single case is investigated using a revised version of the CAOS model of micro-entrepreneurship developed by Paoloni (2011). The purpose of the study is to contribute to the debate regarding the link between relational capital and female start-ups.