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An entrepreneurial ecosystem is the place-based network of people, organisations, institutions and conditions that interact to shape whether and how businesses are created and grow. It includes founders, but also the relationships, resources and rules that enable or constrain them. In short, it is more than a list of startups or startup-support groups.
Who belongs in an entrepreneurial ecosystem?
A useful map includes people and organisations that participate in, contribute to or shape entrepreneurship in a defined place. Their roles and importance vary from one ecosystem to another.
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- Entrepreneurs and prospective entrepreneurs: founders, people pursuing self-employment through a venture, and those considering starting a business. The OECD includes both potential and existing entrepreneurs in its definition.
- Businesses and their people: startups, established firms, scale-ups, employees and experienced entrepreneurs. They can provide jobs, customers, talent, knowledge spillovers, mentorship and, in some cases, later investment.
- Capital providers: venture capitalists, business angels, banks and other financial organisations that fund businesses or provide financial services.
- Knowledge and talent institutions: universities, research institutions, education providers and organisations that develop or connect knowledge and skills.
- Public institutions and rule-setters: government agencies, as well as the formal institutions and regulations that affect business activity.
- Connectors and support providers: mentors, advisers, professional-services firms, networks and entrepreneurship-support organisations.
- Customers and markets: customers create demand, while market access and conditions influence whether a business can find and serve buyers. Some frameworks treat these as ecosystem conditions rather than member organisations.
- Culture and social relationships: norms, trust, role models and networks influence how information, opportunities and resources circulate.
This broad map is not a claim that every participant matters equally everywhere. A local diagnosis is needed to understand which actors are active, what they contribute and how their relationships work.
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Actors, conditions and outcomes are different things
It helps to separate three categories that are related but not interchangeable:
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- Actors are people and organisations, such as founders, firms, investors, universities and public agencies.
- Inputs or enabling conditions are the resources and circumstances that shape entrepreneurship, including finance, talent, knowledge, networks, infrastructure, markets, culture and regulation.
- Outputs are results such as business creation and growth.
Actors interact with conditions and can influence them; the outputs are not themselves a list of ecosystem members. OECD’s diagnostic framework, for example, groups ecosystem inputs separately from entrepreneurship outputs.
How major frameworks describe the ecosystem
There is no single universally used checklist. The frameworks below classify different parts of the subject and serve different purposes.
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| Framework | What it classifies | Emphasis and purpose |
|---|---|---|
| OECD explanatory definition | Entrepreneurial actors, organisations, institutions and processes | Emphasises how they interact to create conditions for new businesses to be created and grow. |
| Stam and van de Ven systems approach | Interdependent actors and factors within a territory | Emphasises interdependence and seeks to operationalise and measure ecosystem elements, while recognising that measurement depends on context. |
| OECD Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Diagnostics | Ten ecosystem input areas: institutions, culture, networks, infrastructure, markets, finance, knowledge, talent, leadership and intermediate services | Organises inputs for diagnostic measurement, with entrepreneurship outputs considered separately. |
The OECD diagnostic indexes are derived from approximately 40 indicators, according to its 2025 framework. That figure describes this pilot measurement approach; it is not a universal count of ecosystem components.
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Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why place and relationships matter
An ecosystem is usually studied within a territory, such as a region or country. Naming the boundary makes a map more useful: a city, for example, may be the focus while its founders, investors, customers or research links extend beyond city limits. Administrative borders do not necessarily contain all the relationships that shape local entrepreneurship.
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Counting organisations alone can miss the system. A university, investor and startup may all be present, but the map becomes more informative when it also shows whether people move between them, whether firms can reach finance and customers, and how knowledge and opportunities circulate. As Stam and van de Ven put it, ecosystems consist of interdependent actors and factors that enable and constrain entrepreneurship within a territory.
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How to use an ecosystem map or score
- Set the place and purpose. State the territory being considered and whether the goal is to understand business creation, growth, or a particular barrier.
- Map actors and conditions separately. Identify relevant people and organisations, then record the conditions and resources that affect their work.
- Trace relationships. Look at how founders reach talent, knowledge, finance, customers and support, rather than treating presence as proof of effective connection.
- Use indicators to identify questions, not prescribe answers. OECD says its pilot indexes can help identify strengths, weaknesses and areas for policy attention. Stakeholder dialogue and deeper analysis are still needed to understand local interactions and decide what action may help.
Sources and framework details
- OECD: Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
- Erik Stam and Andrew van de Ven: Entrepreneurial ecosystem elements (published online in 2019; volume publication in 2021)
- OECD: Conceptual and measurement framework, Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Diagnostics
- OECD: Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Diagnostics
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