How do entrepreneurs experience and perceive the entrepreneurial ecosystem?

Laura I.H Bennett, Don J. Webber and Chay Brooks

Chapter 8 in Developing Entrepreneurial Ecosystems, 2026, pp 130-168 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter assesses how entrepreneurs experience an entrepreneurial ecosystem by exploring their interactions with its institutional elements. We reveal asymmetries in the engagement of entrepreneurs with the ecosystem, with early-stage entrepreneurs being more locally embedded when using available resources, whereas later-stage entrepreneurs have a more expansive conceptualisation of the ecosystem due to their need and ability to access resources that are not locally available. Our fieldwork reveals greater nuance than currently exists in the literature by highlighting that both early- and later-stage entrepreneurs have important roles to play in shaping an entrepreneurial ecosystem. The readiness of entrepreneurs at all stages to give back shapes the culture of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and contributes towards its functioning. By increasing understanding of how entrepreneurs experience institutional elements of an entrepreneurial ecosystem, this chapter expands comprehension of the mechanisms and processes within the entrepreneurial ecosystem and moves it away from being a black box.

Keywords: Early-stage entrepreneurs; Entrepreneurial culture; Experiences; Late-stage entrepreneurs; Scaleups; Startups (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035367009
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