Presenting cutting-edge research from Europe and beyond, The Role of Ecosystems in Developing Startups examines the diverse triggers of the entrepreneurial process and evaluates the richness of different entrepreneurial ecosystems. Novel approaches and methodologies in the field of startups, small business and entrepreneurship are provided, together with the conceptualisation of ecosystems in the managerial field. The book also demonstrates the importance of context in terms of actors and networks, the complete entrepreneurial journey as a set of complex processes and the role of time and resources supporting new companies. Furthermore, the use of social networks in both the early stages and in strategy execution are investigated as key to the entrepreneurial process and its ultimate success. The book's up-to-date empirical approach and practical guidance will provide an excellent resource to scholars and researchers in entrepreneurship alongside other business and management topics, practitioners and policy analysts in the field of entrepreneurship and management.

This book draws together leading academics to provide a state-of-the-art overview of the key challenges to entrepreneurship in Europe. Relationships between entrepreneurship, competitiveness and local development are assessed from various perspectives, and the important role played by entrepreneurs and small firms in fostering economic development in emerging as well as in developed countries is explored. Topics included within these parameters are venture capital, start-ups, entry barriers, the role of gender, refugee entrepreneurship and technological entrepreneurship. Researchers and scholars focusing on the areas of entrepreneurship and small business management will find much to interest them within this book, as will policy-makers involved in the promotion and support of local development and entrepreneurship.