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Cited by 333Entrepreneurship Studies and InfluencesUniversity-Industry-Government Innovation ModelsInnovation and Knowledge Management

Entrepreneurial ecosystems: a dynamic lifecycle model

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Cantner, Uwe, Cunningham, James A., Lehmann, Erik E., Menter, Matthias·2021·Small Business Economics
DOI 10.1007/s11187-020-00316-0
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Abstract

The concept of entrepreneurial ecosystems has been used as a framework to explain entrepreneurial activities within regions and industrial sectors. Despite the usefulness of this approach, the concept is under-theorized, especially with regard to the evolution of entrepreneurial ecosystems. The current literature is lacking a theoretical foundation that addresses the development and change of entrepreneurial ecosystems over time and does not consider the inherent dynamics of entrepreneurial ecosystems that lead to their birth, growth, maturity, decline, and re-emergence. Taking an industry lifecycle perspective, this paper addresses this research gap by elaborating a dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem lifecycle model. We propose that an ecosystem transitions from an entrepreneurial ecosystem, with a focus on new firm creation, towards a business ecosystem, with a core focus on the internal commercialization of knowledge, i.e., intrapreneurial activities, and vice versa. Our dynamic model thus captures the oscillation that occurs among entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs through the different phases of an ecosystem’s lifecycle. Our dynamic lifecycle model may thus serve as a starting point for future empirical studies focusing on ecosystems and provide the basis for a further understanding of the interrelatedness between and co-existence of new and incumbent firms.

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  • The desirable outcomes of entrepreneurial ecosystems nowadays are productive and opportunity-driven entrepreneurship.

    “The desirable outcomes of EEs nowadays are therefore productive and opportunity-driven entrepreneurship (Cantner et al., 2020;Stam, 2018).”

    From Entrepreneurial ecosystems, institutional quality, and the unexpected role of the sustainability orientation of entrepreneurs (2024) · cites this paper as Cantner et al., 2020

    The Introduction describes entrepreneurship as the commercialization of ideas through new ventures, and §4.1 describes entrepreneurs exploiting opportunities to create societal and economic utility (page numbers unavailable). These passages support the opportunity-driven aspect, but they do not identify “productive and opportunity-driven entrepreneurship” as the desirable outcomes of entrepreneurial ecosystems. (LLM, conf=0.76)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • A sustainability orientation could become the seventh and most important pillar of entrepreneurial ecosystems.

    “Following Cantner et al. (2020) and Isenberg's (2011) six pillars of EE, we claim that a sustainability orientation could become the 7th and the most important pillar of EEs.”

    From Entrepreneurial ecosystems, institutional quality, and the unexpected role of the sustainability orientation of entrepreneurs (2024) · cites this paper as Cantner et al. (2020)

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Cited by

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Authors
Cantner, U., Cunningham, J. A., Lehmann, E. E., & Menter, M.
Affiliations
  • Friedrich Schiller University Jena (DE)
  • Northumbria University (GB)
  • University of Augsburg (DE)
Corresponding author
Cantner, Uwe
ORCID
Venue
Small Business Economics
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2020-02-01
Volume
57
Issue
1
Pages
407-423
ISSN
  • 0921-898X (ISSN-L)
  • 1573-0913
DOI
10.1007/s11187-020-00316-0
OpenAlex
W2984781427
Cited by
333
References
4
Citations by year
2026: 70 · 2025: 70 · 2024: 50 · 2023: 54 · 2022: 41 · 2021: 32 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 1
FWCI
30.22
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Small Business Economics (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Northumbria Research Link (Northumbria University) (acceptedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • Econstor (Econstor) (submittedVersion)
  • Econstor (Econstor) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • OPUS (Augsburg University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Common Library Network (Der Gemeinsame Bibliotheksverbund) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Management of Technology and Innovation › Entrepreneurship Studies and Influences
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Management of Technology and Innovation › University-Industry-Government Innovation Models
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Innovation and Knowledge Management
Keywords
entrepreneurial ecosystems, business ecosystems, corporate entrepreneurship, new firm creation, knowledge commercialization, ecosystem evolution, incumbent firms

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