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@article{206655,
        author = {Raushni Perween and Dr. Deepanshu Agarwal},
        title = {DIGITAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP AS A TOOL FOR LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: EVIDENCE FROM EMERGING STARTUPS IN DARBHANGA, BIHAR},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {13},
        number = {2},
        pages = {2368-2374},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=206655},
        abstract = {Digital entrepreneurship has emerged as a practical pathway for innovation, self-employment, service delivery and market expansion in developing regions. It includes enterprises in which digital technologies are used to identify opportunities, create value, communicate with customers, receive payments or deliver products and services. The spread of smartphones, internet connectivity, digital payments, social media and online marketplaces has lowered entry barriers for small entrepreneurs, including those operating outside metropolitan centres. This paper examines the developmental potential of digital entrepreneurship in Darbhanga district, Bihar. Using an exploratory, descriptive and analytical design based on secondary evidence, it connects the district’s agricultural resources, educational base, cultural identity and service needs with opportunities in agritech, makhana and food processing, e-commerce, online education, healthcare facilitation, tourism, digital marketing and logistics. Historical official MSME data show that microenterprises dominate the district’s registered enterprise structure, confirming the importance of small locally operated ventures. The analysis finds that digital entrepreneurship can widen markets, create direct and indirect employment, strengthen local supply chains, improve access to services and support women and rural youth. Its growth, however, is constrained by limited seed finance, uneven digital skills, weak incubation, infrastructure gaps, low policy awareness, cybersecurity risks and inadequate institutional coordination. The paper recommends a district incubation centre, a startup help desk, university entrepreneurship cells, local-language training, sector-specific finance and a verified Mithila digital marketplace. A locally grounded and inclusive ecosystem can convert digital entrepreneurship into a meaningful instrument of regional development.},
        keywords = {Digital entrepreneurship; local economic development; startups; employment generation; digital economy; Darbhanga; Bihar.},
        month = {July},
        }