Mentoring entrepreneurship in a rural territory – A qualitative exploration of an entrepreneurship program for rural areas

Abstract

This study aims to understand the importance of an entrepreneurship program for a rural territory. For the empirical development of this study, primary data was collected through semi-structured interviews and documents/reports developed by the program. The interviews were conducted with the skilled worker of the institutions that were involved in the development of the EMER-n program and were handled with the support of the NVIVO software. The results show that the EMER-n program, by involving local actors (higher education institutions, business associations and local development associations), allowed the creation of a network that led to an entrepreneurial ecosystem in a rural territory. This entrepreneurial ecosystem has provided entrepreneurs with support both in setting up and validating the business, as well as in supporting established firms to become more competitive and to explore other markets. This study provides empirical evidence on the importance of entrepreneurship programs in rural territories. In addition, this study demonstrates how the interaction of local actors can help foster business creation and contribute to an entrepreneurial ecosystem.