Entrepreneurship is deeply intertwined with an entrepreneurs’ network and social capital, which facilitate resource acquisition, opportunity identification, and legitimacy. While existing literature delves into the formation and benefits of such networks, there is a gap in understanding the network dynamics post-network disruption. This study addresses this by exploring the impact of network loss severity on entrepreneurs' opportunity recognition, specifically focusing on the role of trust and legitimacy in new tie formation post-disruption. We chose refugee entrepreneurs as our subject, given their unique experience of abrupt and involuntary network loss due to forced relocation. Drawing from the liability of foreignness (LOF) framework, we posit that refugees face heightened challenges in accessing resources and opportunities in host countries. Through a randomized field experiment, our findings indicate that refugees better integrated into their host communities produce higher-quality entrepreneurial ideas. Additionally, collaboration with local partners enhances the growth potential of the ideas, while decreasing the idea novelty.