Abstract
The framework for this study is based on the research and literature related to serial entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial ecosystems. Our sample is 12 serial entrepreneurs within a single context—the Waterloo Region—that has been ranked as one of the top start-up ecosystems in the world. In 2012, it was ranked 16th with 32 % of the start-ups identified as being led by serial entrepreneurs. The study provides an understanding of the characteristics that define a mature ecosystem, with specific input on the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. We profile the 12 entrepreneurs to provide a review of their businesses, the contributions they have made within their ecosystem, and their statements on what they have learned in the process of leading multiple ventures. This research may be useful for communities and nations that seek to focus on entrepreneurship as a means for economic growth. It should also stimulate further research on contextual issues and examine serial entrepreneurs within their own ecosystem.
Highlights
Entrepreneurs have been viewed as the engines that can move the economy forward, providing new businesses that add to entrepreneurial ecosystems in geographic regions (Grebel 2007; Grebel et al 2003; Metcalfe 2004; Schumpeter 1934; Witt 1998)
This study looks at a sample of 12 serial entrepreneurs—defined as those who have had more than one venture creation experience—who are situated in the Waterloo, Ontario, region
Serial entrepreneurs are situated within a community, in this case within the Waterloo Region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem
Summary
Entrepreneurs have been viewed as the engines that can move the economy forward, providing new businesses that add to entrepreneurial ecosystems in geographic regions (Grebel 2007; Grebel et al 2003; Metcalfe 2004; Schumpeter 1934; Witt 1998). A fourth way to look at habitual entrepreneurs is to use an entrepreneurial ecosystem perspective This view is holistic and seeks to understand the institutions and structures (formal and informal) that help to develop and maintain entrepreneurial human capital within a specific context or ecosystem (Baron and Markman 2003; Davidsson and Honig 2003; Lengyel et al 2015; Mason and Brown 2014; Napier and Hansen 2011; Westlund and Bolton 2003). Our sample of serial entrepreneurs is set in the Waterloo entrepreneurial ecosystem They primarily draw from and contribute to the network or amalgam of individuals, organizations, and resources within this setting. Communitech—established in 1997 by local tech leaders—supports a tech cluster of nearly 1000 companies at all stages of their growth and development—including stalwart veterans
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