Abstract
To date, contributions in the field of entrepreneurial ecosystems have mainly focused on definitions, actors, key attributes, consequences on startups’ creation and growth, while conceding less space to key relations among actors. This study contributes to filling this gap by exploring the relation in entrepreneurial ecosystems between small-medium enterprises and a relevant class of startups: innovative startups. We take stock of extant knowledge to discuss the challenges and benefits of this relation. Then, we document that innovative startups tend to locate within Italian industrial districts, a peculiar case of entrepreneurial ecosystems where Italian small-medium enterprises tend to agglomerate, despite there is no evidence that they operate in the same industry of specialization of the Italian industrial districts. We interpret these results as a possible indication that innovative startups value the relation with small-medium enterprises. We provide an original review and illustrative evidence on small-medium enterprises and startups relations as few studies have done so far. Finally, the study presents a research agenda for stimulating novel directions for academic research and practice-oriented conversations on the role of small-medium enterprises and innovative startups in entrepreneurial ecosystems. We deem this is a relevant topic, given the importance of these relations, especially within entrepreneurial ecosystems located in countries where small-medium enterprises (often operating in traditional industries) are the main engine of local and regional development.
Highlights
Scholars define entrepreneurial ecosystems as “sets of interdependent actors and factors coordinated in such a way that they enable productive entrepreneurship within a particular territory” (Stam 2015, p. 5)
Scholars have noted that alliances among firms with different industry specializations can experience superior performance (Glaister 1996). Following this line of reasoning, we argue that further insights on relations between innovative startups and Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in EEs can come from empirical evidence on the relatedness of the industry of operation of innovative startups and the industry of specialization of the Industrial Districts (IIDs), in which they are located, which we assume as a reasonable proxy of the industry of operation of SMEs operating in the IIDs
We find that 73% of the total sample of innovative startups is located within 30 km from the closest IID
Summary
Scholars define entrepreneurial ecosystems (hereafter: EEs) as “sets of interdependent actors and factors coordinated in such a way that they enable productive entrepreneurship within a particular territory” (Stam 2015, p. 5). Several scholars conceive EEs as complex and “evolving” dynamic systems (Acs et al 2014; Isenberg 2010; Spigel 2017; Dubina et al 2017; Cavallo et al 2019a). Along this line of reasoning, Neumeyer et al (2017) examine EEs as complex social organizations employing social network data analysis; other researchers introduce system dynamics and simulation methodologies in EE research (Yearworth 2010; Yun et al 2017). As suggested by Forrester (2007) - the father of complex modeling - to gain an understanding of complex systems, we should first focus on their smaller parts and key and context-specific relationships (Sterman 2000; Ghaffarzadegan et al 2011)
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