The buzz before business: a design science study of a sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
Authors
This paper examines how entrepreneurial opportunities co-evolve within a sustainable entrepreneurship ecosystem (SEE). Most of the literature on entrepreneurial ecosystems falls short on integrating the entrepreneurial process in empirical research. To analyze data collected from pre-start-up teams within a nascent SEE on high-tech cellulose-based materials over 3 years, we apply a design science approach that helps understand actors’ collaborative sensemaking in designing and structuring ecosystem features and relationships. Our findings show that the SEE can be seen as a design artifact which evolves by ecosystem actors collectively engaging in new venture ideation and developing opportunity confidence. Furthermore, the paper presents a novel SEE framework, which elaborates on phases and enablers of the opportunity co-evolution process within an emerging ecosystem. We contribute to the literature on sustainable as well as general entrepreneurial ecosystems and offer a new theoretical foundation for a process view on ecosystems.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Small Business Economics |
Volume | 56 |
Issue number | 3 |
Pages (from-to) | 1097–1120 |
Number of pages | 24 |
ISSN | 0921-898X |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 01.02.2021 |
Externally published | Yes |
- Buzz, Design science study, Entrepreneurial ecosystem, Opportunity process, Sustainable entrepreneurship
- Management studies
- Entrepreneurship
- Sustainability sciences, Management & Economics