<p>Entrepreneurship in the Arab Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is shaped by persistent unemployment, fragile labour markets, and underdeveloped formal institutions, making informal networks critical to entrepreneurial activity. Yet existing research has paid limited attention to how such informal support structures shape individual entrepreneurial orientation (IEO) and entrepreneurial intentions (EI). This study addresses this gap by examining how perceived support from family, friends, and colleagues influences IEO, conceptualised through innovativeness, risk-taking, and proactiveness, and how IEO subsequently predicts EI. Drawing on family embeddedness theory, social cognitive theory, and entrepreneurial event theory, we develop and test a model of informal support and entrepreneurial motivation. Using primary survey data from 1,155 nascent entrepreneurs across six Arab countries (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Tunisia, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates), we employ partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) and one-way ANOVA. The findings reveal that perceived support from family and friends significantly predicts EO, while colleague support has no meaningful effect. EO, in turn, strongly predicts EI. Cross-national comparisons highlight higher levels of support, EO, and EI in the UAE and Lebanon, relative to Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Theoretically, the study advances entrepreneurship research by clarifying the role of informal social capital as an antecedent to IEO and integrating three complementary theories into a unified framework of intention formation. Practically, it provides actionable insights for policymakers and ecosystem stakeholders, emphasising the need to design interventions that leverage family and peer networks alongside formal supports to foster inclusive entrepreneurship in emerging economies.</p>