The role of support system on start-up success in Hargeisa, Somaliland

Start-ups are pivotal to fostering economic development, generating employment, nurturing eco-innovation, and pioneering new markets. Their contributions are especially vital in emerging economies, such as those in the African continent. However, start-ups face significant challenges in their quest for sustainability and survival, with failure rates alarmingly high, ranging from 50% to 95%. Using Hargeisa Somaliland, a developing region where start-ups grapple with many obstacles, this study endeavours to shed light on the efficacy of their support systems. Therefore, it is crucial to recognise the need to assess the critical support services that enable Start-up success. This thesis attempts to determine which startup- related essential support services, such as technology, market, finance, and soft support, contribute the most to its success. Primary data were collected from 123 respondents to the distributed questionnaire for 200 newly registered start-ups in the last five years engaged in Electronics, Boutiques/clothes shop/tailoring, Transport, Supermarket and Retail shops through structured questionnaires using stratified random sampling techniques. This study aims to underscore the significance of technology, finance, and soft support in the success of start-ups, while market-related support did not have a significant impact. The study's result shows a significant negative relationship between the variables understudies in this research. These insights not only build upon existing literature by elucidating the role of these supports in propelling start-up success. However, it also shows how each type of support does not contribute to the Start-up's success in the specific context of Somaliland