Green Entrepreneurial Leadership and Student Business Sustainability: Examining the Mediating Role of Resilience in Higher Education

Abstract

Objective: The development of green entrepreneurship has gained growing attention in recent years, particularly in higher education. However, the transformation from entrepreneurial intention into actual sustainable entrepreneurial behavior among students remains limited. One of the main challenges lies in the lack of entrepreneurial resilience and the suboptimal role of universities in fostering green-oriented entrepreneurship through innovative learning models. This study examines the role of the Innovation Hub (I-Hub) business incubator at Sebelas Maret University as a green entrepreneurship learning platform by adopting an experiential learning approach. A total of 300 students participating in the I-Hub program were surveyed, and the data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The study investigated the effects of green entrepreneurial competence, leadership, and intention on sustainable business performance, with green entrepreneurial resilience as a mediating variable. The findings indicate that while competence, leadership, and intention contribute to entrepreneurial outcomes, they are not sufficient on their own; resilience emerges as a critical factor in enhancing sustainable entrepreneurial performance. These results highlight the importance of strengthening resilience-building strategies in entrepreneurship education. This study contributes to the development of green business practices in higher education and provides practical recommendations for incubator programs to integrate leadership, resilience, and sustainability in order to support environmental and economic goals.