Abstract
The extradentary surge of financial technology (fintech) enterprises has fundamentally transformed contemporary financial markets, yet extant scholarly literature exhibits a notable absence of a unified and theoretically grounded framework for explicating fintech startups’ success (Hamza et al., 2025). This dissertation addresses this theoretical lacuna by synthesizing an integrative entrepreneurial ecosystem framework to illustrate the critical success factors (CSFs) that catalyze fintech venture performance (Conley, 2014). Drawing upon established theoretical foundations, this research employs a multi-method research design, and develops a comprehensive framework for fintech startup companies’ success. The methodological approach commenced with a systematic meta-analysis of theoretical paradigms, establishing a systems-theoretical foundation for fintech companies’ venture growth analysis. Through theoretical synthesis, the study applies a conceptual framework incorporating 12 constituent attributes across five dimensions of the entrepreneurial ecosystem framework (D. J. Isenberg, 2011). To empirically validate this framework, the study analyzed a dataset comprising 240 U.S.-based fintech companies established post-COVID-19 pandemic, utilizing comprehensive 5-year data from Crunchbase, Pitchbook, and LinkedIn platforms, and then conducting an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) via the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). These findings yield significant theoretical and practical implications for business and leadership scholars, fintech entrepreneurs, venture capitalists (VCs), and policy architects engaged in fostering financial industry innovation and sustainable growth dynamics.
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Financial services industry—Technological innovations; New business enterprises—Management; Success in business
Date of Award
2025
School Affiliation
Graduate School of Education and Psychology
Department/Program
Education
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctorate
Faculty Advisor
Abraham Song
Recommended Citation
Hua, Wen, "Critical success factors for U.S. fintech startups in the post-COVID-19 era: applying the entrepreneurial ecosystem framework" (2025). Theses and Dissertations. 1650.
https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/1650