Coupling in Platform-Led Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and Startup Performance: Evidence from a Survey of Chinese Startups

Although the entrepreneurial incubation performance of the platform-led entrepreneurial ecosystem is remarkable, existing research lacks insights into how to empower startups and how to effectively improve their performance as important ecosystem participants. To address this gap, this study analyzed the questionnaire data from 368 employees of startups associated with platform enterprises established for less than 8 years. Research findings indicate that within these ecosystems, the coupling relationship between startups and platform ecosystem participants facilitates the formation of interest communities within the platform ecosystem’s inner circles. Crucially, this study reveals that formal platform governance significantly moderates these relationships, acting as an institutional safeguard that curbs opportunistic behavior and amplifies the performance-enhancing effects of coupling. This synergistic interplay between coupling and formal governance mechanisms drives collective value creation across the entire platform, and thus improves startup performance. Finally, based on the coupling intensity and governance maturity, this study has built a practical decision-making matrix, which provides clear strategic rules for startups, large enterprises and policymakers, so as to enhance sustainable collaboration and resource allocation among all ecosystem participants.