Global Innovation Capital Funding and Financial Literacy as Determinants of Digital Payment Technology Startup Performance

Authors

  • Abiola A. Babajide Department of Banking and Finance, College of Management and Social Sciences, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria
  • Ayodeji Temitope Kujembola Department of Banking and Finance, College of Management and Social Sciences, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria
  • Olawale Olasunkanmi OLUSOLA Department of International Relations, Faculty of Administration Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-ife, Nigeria
  • Moriam Bolanle SALAKO Public Administration, Faculty of Administration Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-ife, Nigeria

Keywords:

Global innovation capital funding, Digital payment technology startups, Fintech, Venture capital management practices, Startup performance

Abstract

As digital payment technology startups come to play a growing role in promoting financial inclusion and digital transformation, the need to understand the factors that can boost their performance as organisations has grown. Although the number of investments in entrepreneurial activities has increased, little empirical research has been conducted on the effect of VCM practices on the performance of digital payment technology startups in the context of the global innovation capital funding process, especially in emerging economies. This study has focused on the effect of venture capital management practices on the financial performance of digital payment technology start-up in Nigeria. A quantitative cross sectional survey design was used, and primary data were gathered using a structured questionnaire which was administered to the management personnel of digital payment technology startups. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) software program, SmartPLS 4, was used for data analysis. The results show that the venture capital financial management practices have a significant effect on Return on Equity (β = 0.745, t = 14.838, p < 0.001) and effective management practices have a significant effect on Return on Assets (β = 0.810, t = 21.092, p < 0.001). The study finds that the performance gains of global innovation capital funding are not only related to the availability of external funding, but also to the effective management and financial management of startups. The study adds to the entrepreneurial finance literature by showing that managerial ability is essential to the ability of venture capital to create sustainable organisational performance. The results offer practical recommendations for entrepreneurs, investors and policy makers to enhance Nigeria's digital innovation ecosystem.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Adesopo, A., & Apeloko, O. D. (2025). Exclusionary Fiscal Federalism and the Challenges of the Nigerian State. TWIST, 20(3), 99-107. https://twistjournal.net/twist/article/view/911

Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99–120. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639101700108

Bhullar, P. S., Gupta, P. K., & Salamzadeh, A. (2025). Value creation through FinTech in entrepreneurial growth: A systematic review and pathway for future research. Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEPP-01-2025-0019

Brigham, E. F., & Ehrhardt, M. C. (2022). Financial management: Theory and practice (16th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). Sage.

Helfat, C. E., & Martin, J. A. (2015). Dynamic managerial capabilities: Review and assessment of managerial impact on strategic change. Journal of Management, 41(5), 1281–1312. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314561301

Kato, A. I., & Manchidi, N. H. (2025). Venture capital's role in driving nascent enterprises to industry market leaders. Cogent Business & Management, 12(1), Article 2484458. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2025.2484458

KPMG. (2025). Pulse of Fintech H2 2024: Global analysis of fintech investment trends. KPMG International.

Lerner, J., & Nanda, R. (2020). Venture capital's role in financing innovation: What we know and how much we still need to learn. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 34(3), 237–261. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.34.3.237

Mirza, N., Horobet, A., Kostakis, I., & Botoroga, C. A. (2026). Innovation ecosystems and entrepreneurial venture capital: Evidence from European countries. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 22(2), Article 63. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11365-026-01188-8

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2024). Financing SMEs and entrepreneurs 2024: An OECD scoreboard. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/fa521246-en

Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2023). Research methods for business students (9th ed.). Pearson.

Schilke, O., Hu, S., & Helfat, C. E. (2023). Quo vadis, dynamic capabilities? A content-analytic review of the current state of knowledge and recommendations for future research. Academy of Management Annals, 17(1), 309–336. https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2021.0096

Teece, D. J. (2007). Explicating dynamic capabilities: The nature and microfoundations of (sustainable) enterprise performance. Strategic Management Journal, 28(13), 1319–1350. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.640

Teece, D. J. (2023). Dynamic capabilities and strategic management: Continuing the conversation. California Management Review, 65(3), 5–28.

Teece, D. J., Pisano, G., & Shuen, A. (1997). Dynamic capabilities and strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 18(7), 509–533. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199708)18:7<509::AID-SMJ882>3.0.CO;2-Z

Warner, K. S. R., & Wäger, M. (2019). Building dynamic capabilities for digital transformation: An ongoing process of strategic renewal. Long Range Planning, 52(3), 326–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2018.12.001

World Bank. (2024). Global Findex database 2024: Digital financial inclusion, payments and resilience. World Bank.

Zhou, Y., Park, S., Zhang, J. Z., & Ferreira, J. J. (2025). How do innovative internet tech startups attract venture capital financing? Journal of Management & Organization, 31(3), 1367–1388. https://doi.org/10.1017/jmo.2023.39

Downloads

Published

2026-06-30

How to Cite

Babajide, A. A., Kujembola , A. T., OLUSOLA, O. O., & SALAKO, M. B. (2026). Global Innovation Capital Funding and Financial Literacy as Determinants of Digital Payment Technology Startup Performance. ILORIN JOURNAL OF ADMINISTRATION AND DEVELOPMENT, 10(1), 88–104. Retrieved from http://ijad.com.ng/index.php/ijad/article/view/67

Similar Articles

<< < 1 2 3 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.