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An entrepreneurial ecosystem is the place-based network of people, organisations, institutions and conditions that interact to shape how businesses are created and grow. It includes founders, but also firms, investors, universities, public agencies, customers and the relationships among them. It is therefore more than a directory of startups or support programmes: the interactions and local conditions can enable or constrain entrepreneurship.
Who belongs in an entrepreneurial ecosystem?
A practical map includes people and organisations that participate in, contribute to or shape entrepreneurship in a defined place. Their roles differ by location; no category matters equally everywhere.
- Entrepreneurs and prospective entrepreneurs: founders, people pursuing self-employment through a venture, and people considering starting a business.
- Businesses and their people: startups, established firms, scale-ups, employees and experienced entrepreneurs. They can contribute talent, demand, knowledge spillovers, mentorship and, in some cases, later investment.
- Capital providers: venture capitalists, business angels, banks and other financial organisations.
- Knowledge and talent institutions: universities, research institutions, education providers and organisations that develop or connect talent and knowledge.
- Public institutions and rule-setters: government agencies, as well as the formal rules and regulatory environment that affect business activity.
- Connectors and support providers: mentors, advisers, professional services, networks and entrepreneurship-support organisations.
- Markets and customers: the people and organisations whose needs and purchasing decisions create demand. Some frameworks treat markets as an enabling condition rather than as a member organisation.
- Culture and social relationships: informal norms, trust, role models and networks that influence how information, opportunities and resources circulate.
This broad view follows the OECD’s description of entrepreneurial actors, organisations, institutions and processes interacting to create conditions for new businesses to form and grow. OECD: Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
What makes it an ecosystem rather than a list?
The defining feature is interaction. A university may develop knowledge and talent; a business may hire graduates or share expertise; investors may use local networks to find ventures; and public rules may affect whether those ventures can operate or raise capital. Mapping each organisation without examining these connections can miss how entrepreneurship actually works in a place.
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Stam and van de Ven describe ecosystems as interdependent actors and factors that enable and constrain entrepreneurship within a territory. Their systems approach emphasises that the components depend on one another, and that measurement needs to fit the setting. Stam and van de Ven, “Entrepreneurial ecosystem elements”
Separate actors, enabling conditions and outcomes
These categories are related, but they answer different questions:
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- Actors are people and organisations involved in entrepreneurship, such as founders, firms, investors and universities.
- Enabling conditions are the resources, relationships and circumstances that make business creation and growth easier or harder, such as finance, talent, networks, markets, infrastructure, culture and regulation.
- Outputs are results such as business creation and growth. They are not the same as the conditions or actors that may contribute to them.
Keeping the distinctions clear helps prevent a common mapping error: treating a high number of support organisations, for example, as proof that businesses are forming or growing. The OECD’s diagnostic framework considers ecosystem inputs separately from entrepreneurship outputs. OECD: Conceptual and measurement framework
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How do the main frameworks differ?
There is no single universal checklist. The frameworks below organise the subject for different purposes, so their categories should be treated as complementary lenses rather than interchangeable taxonomies.
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| Framework | What it organises | Emphasis |
|---|---|---|
| OECD explanatory definition | Actors, organisations, institutions and entrepreneurial processes | How these parts interact to create conditions for new businesses to form and grow |
| Stam and van de Ven systems approach | Interdependent actors and factors within a territory | How ecosystem elements enable or constrain entrepreneurship, with measurement adapted to context |
| OECD Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Diagnostics | Ten input areas: institutions, culture, networks, infrastructure, markets, finance, knowledge, talent, leadership and intermediate services | Organising and measuring ecosystem inputs while considering entrepreneurship outputs separately |
For its pilot diagnostic framework, the OECD derives ten input indexes from approximately 40 indicators. That figure describes this particular measurement framework, not a universal count of ecosystem components. OECD: Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Diagnostics
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the place and its boundaries matter
An ecosystem map needs a stated geographic scope, such as a city, region or country. These are common territories for research and policy diagnostics, but administrative boundaries do not necessarily contain the relevant relationships: founders, workers, customers, investors and institutions may connect across them.
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State what place the map covers and consider which relationships cross its borders. A framework’s categories can guide what to look for, but the local importance of each actor, condition and connection has to be assessed in context.
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How to use an ecosystem map or score
- Define the territory and purpose. Say whether the map is for understanding business formation, growth, a policy question or another specific aim.
- Identify actors and conditions separately. Record who participates, what enables or constrains entrepreneurship, and which outcomes are being examined.
- Trace relationships. Look beyond presence: ask how people and organisations exchange knowledge, talent, capital, customers and support.
- Interpret indicators as a starting point. OECD says its pilot indexes can help identify strengths, weaknesses and areas for policy attention; targeted stakeholder dialogue and deeper analysis are still needed to understand what to do next. OECD: Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Diagnostics
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