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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the roles of four specific capital factors, namely, human, social, institutional and financial capitals, in rural women entrepreneurship. The focus was on the handloom sector in Manipur, India.

This paper uses qualitative research methodology with a multiple case study approach. Data were collected using in-depth interviews to study seven cases of rural women entrepreneurs.

The study highlights that human, social, institutional and financial capitals play significant roles in encouraging rural women to engage in entrepreneurial activities and influence strategic decisions. Each capital factor being interrelated, achieving the integration among them will considerably enhance entrepreneurial success.

The main limitation is the narrow scope, emphasizing on only four capital factors. There are implications for further work on other types of capital. The study being sector specific, limits generalization. It contributes insights into the need for multi-sector examinations in the literature.

Rural women entrepreneurship needs are in line with understanding the roles of capital factors and their interrelations. The role of capital factors varies between prior and no prior entrepreneurial experiences.

This study provides information on the role of capital factors on rural women entrepreneurship and contributes to better understanding of how each capital factor is accumulated and utilized in rural women entrepreneurship development using the perspective of handloom sector in Manipur, India.