The evolution of entrepreneurial ecosystems and the critical role of migrants. A Phase-Model based on a Study of IT startups in the Greater Tel Aviv Area

Abstract

AbstractUnlike existing studies on entrepreneurial ecosystems that focus on the internal dynamics of such systems, this article argues that entrepreneurial ecosystems are linked to one another through economically specialised migrants that trigger their emergence and positively affect their future development. To illustrate the relation between migration and the dynamics of entrepreneurial ecosystems, a model is presented that distinguishes three different phases: (i) the remigration of highly skilled migrants, (ii) ‘sunshine return migration’ and (iii) the outmigration of local entrepreneurs to foreign entrepreneurial ecosystems. Even though the model is based on both existing literature and our own empirical findings in the Tel Aviv IT entrepreneurial ecosystem, it is argued that its implications also hold true for other regional contexts.