Resilient Women Technopreneurs Leading and Sustaining Women-Led SMEs in Sarawak, Malaysia
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Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)
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This study explores the resilience, leadership, and sustainability strategies of women technopreneurs in Sarawak, Malaysia. Women-led tech ventures remain under-studied, especially in East Malaysia, where regional, cultural, and gender-based barriers intersect. Addressing this gap, the study aims to examine (1) the significance of resilience in overcoming challenges, (2) key leadership factors for leading women-led SMEs, and (3) strategies for sustaining these businesses. Using a qualitative research approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with two (2) selected women technopreneurs in Kuching, Sarawak using purposive sampling. Data were analysed using thematic analysis, which uncovered three key themes aligning with the study objectives: (1) Resilience in Overcoming Challenges and Achieve Success, (2) Adaptive Leadership and Growth, and (3) Sustaining Business through Strategy and Community. This study provides five (5) theoretical contributions. It includes contextualises emotional, strategic, and social resilience in tech entrepreneurship, introduces regional and cultural specificity, and extends women’s entrepreneurship theory by participating gender, leadership, and tech. Practically, the study contributes to recommends government-supported mentorship networks, gender-sensitive, and culturally aligned entrepreneurship programmes. Additionally, it calls for inclusive TVET curricula that foster tech-based skills and leadership capacity for women in Sarawak. Future research is encouraged to include broader regional representation, larger samples across Sarawak and Malaysia, and longitudinal studies to track women technopreneurs’ long-term growth and resilience strategies. In sum, this study offers a critical perspective on the lived realities of women technopreneurs in emerging economies.