Migrant entrepreneurs are increasingly recognised as contributors to economic and social development yet often face structural barriers in host countries. Entrepreneurship support (ES) programmes are intended to reduce these barriers, but little is known about the specific combinations of factors that make ES valuable for migrant participants. This paper investigates which programme characteristics, ecosystem factors, and participant profiles contribute to perceived programme value for this segment. Using a set-theoretic approach, we apply qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) to 43 cases from nine Norwegian ES programmes, combining semi-structured interviews with digital observational data. Our findings show that programme value does not depend solely on whether a programme is open or targeted, but rather on the alignment between programme design and the embeddedness of the entrepreneur. In particular, whether an entrepreneur is linked primarily to host-country or home-country markets plays a key role. The analysis reveals that migrant entrepreneurs with cross-border embeddedness, i.e. transnational entrepreneurs, benefit most from dedicated migrant programmes with facilitators of non-host-country backgrounds. Conversely, entrepreneurs focused on the host country benefit from integrated programmes alongside non-migrants. These findings highlight the need to move beyond binary categories and to design support that reflects the diversity of migrant entrepreneurial experiences.

This study explores the differences and similarities between migrant and non-migrant entrepreneurs in Norway to enhance the design of migrant-specific entrepreneurship support programmes (MSPs) using qualitative comparative analysis (QCA), our findings reveal greater-than-expected in-group heterogeneity and between-group homogeneity, challenging existing literature. In other words, the differences between transnational and non-transnational entrepreneurs are more prominent than the ones between migrants and non-migrants. Within the group of migrant entrepreneurs, we see that those generally exhibit more transnational activity and less access to host-country networks and finance, while non-migrants have more diverse ventures. Notably, some migrants could benefit from joining open support programmes (OSPs) alongside non-migrants, and many do not need deep host-country embeddedness due to their transnational business focus. These insights can refine MSP designs, better aligning them with migrant entrepreneurs' needs. Future research should build on these findings through larger-scale quantitative studies and assess ES programmes across various political and cultural contexts.

The growing urgency of solving worldwide societal and climate change issues through viable business models has intensified research on entrepreneurship support. Despite the expansion of entrepreneurship support, little is known on how different support configurations interact with sustainability venture orientation and founder characteristics to shape survival outcomes. We reposition venture survival as a critical precondition for long-term sustainable impact and introduce a framework for context-sensitive support design that treats venture orientation - distinguishing social from ecological orientation - as a central contextual condition shaping support effectiveness. Addressing the limited attention on heterogeneity and configurational causality in venture survival research, we employ a configurational approach using qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). Based on a sample of 262 Norwegian ventures and interviews with entrepreneurship support organizations, we show that survival is associated with selectively combined and orientation-aligned support bundles, whereas expansive multi-type support configurations are, in some cases, linked to non-survival. Depending on venture orientation (social vs. ecological), education, and support bundles, we identify distinct configurations associated with both survival and failure, revealing causal asymmetry. Our findings highlight the double-edged nature of entrepreneurship support: while targeted configurations aligned with venture orientation appear to sustain problem-solving and persistence, overly extensive support bundles may crowd out agency and diffuse attention. By demonstrating that support effectiveness depends on configurational alignment rather than additive intensity, this study challenges the assumption that more support is inherently beneficial and advances a context-sensitive perspective on sustainability entrepreneurship support design.

Venture evaluations determining the allocation of supporting resources in the innovation system are often based on decision-makers’ intuition. These evaluations in general fail to predict venture survival to a satisfactory extent. Thus, this paper contributes to the academic debate around the prediction of early-stage venture survival by providing evidence for the usefulness of objective measures. Its main contribution to entrepreneurship practice is a potential improvement of entrepreneurship support decision-making. We capture ventures’ dynamic capabilities by measuring transaction relations from business plans and compare the predictive power of this objective measure to a subjective, intuitive judgement on venture survival for the respective business plans and start-ups. Analyses based on a sample of 272 early-stage new technology-based firms suggest that the objective measure does not only outperform the best prediction based on the sample mean but also reaches a significantly higher survival prediction accuracy than the subjective, intuition-based evaluations. It is argued that there is potential for further improving the predictive power reached with objective measures.

Bei Betrachtung vergleichender Analysen bezüglich der Voraussetzungen und Ökosysteme für Digital-Startups in Europa zeigt sich, dass insbesondere die skandinavischen Länder führende Plätze belegen. Daher wird im vorliegenden Artikel untersucht, wie erfolgreiche Strategien aus skandinavischen Gründungsökosystemen auf die DACH-Region übertragen werden können, um die Erfolgschancen digitaler Startups zu verbessern. Basierend auf einer Untersuchung von 160 Digital-Startups aus Norwegen, Dänemark und Schweden mittels Qualitative Comparative Analysis werden drei zentrale Erfolgsfaktoren identifiziert: Teamgröße, Netzwerkstruktur und Zugang zu finanziellen Ressourcen. Die Analyse hebt hervor, dass der Erfolg digitaler Startups stark von der Kombination dieser Faktoren abhängt, wobei spezifische Konfigurationen je nach Produktkomplexität und Zielmarkt variieren. Es wird gezeigt, dass komplexe Produkte für spezifische Zielgruppen von intensiver Co-Creation profitieren, während einfache Produkte für den Massenmarkt durch starke Netzwerke und diversifizierte Finanzierungsquellen erfolgreich sein können. Gleichzeitig wird verdeutlicht, dass skandinavische Startups von flexiblen Arbeitsmärkten, informellen Netzwerken und einer etablierten Startup-Finanzierungskultur profitieren. Aufgrund der strukturellen Unterschiede, wie formalisierter Arbeitsmärkte und konservativerer Finanzierungskulturen, können die Erkenntnisse jedoch nicht uneingeschränkt auf die DACH-Raum übertragen werden. Die empirischen Ergebnisse aus Skandinavien werden daher in praktische Handlungsempfehlungen für Gründer sowie Gestalter von Gründungsökosystemen im DACH-Raum übersetzt.

While research on entrepreneurial ecosystems is gaining popularity among researchers because of the way entrepreneurship transforms the socio-economic situation of nations, emerging economies across the world have seen fewer contributions. In the last decade, several calls have been made for researchers to prioritize contextual lenses in regions such as Africa, Latin America and Asia, where entrepreneurship is strongly driving development. To give credence to whether researchers in the field have accepted this challenge and ascertain the growth in this research area, we conduct a bibliometric analysis to provide a perspective on contributions made by authors, journals, and institutions. We further attempt to identify the thematic patterns of the field. Our sample was retrieved from Scopus and Web of Science, accounting for 321 publications. We adopted the Bibliometrix tool in the R-package to analyse and visualize figures. The findings suggest an increasing publication growth rate, averaging 16.99 per cent annually. The year 2024 recorded the highest publications, showing a growing interest among researchers. The analysis also revealed the multidisciplinary nature of the entrepreneurial ecosystem research in emerging economies. The key topics cover theory, methodology and domains like innovation, institutions, governance and sustainable development. This study provides a broader indigenous lens for entrepreneurial ecosystem research in emerging economies.

PurposeThe aim of this article is to explore which forms of capital (financial, human and social) and their combinations constitute sufficient conditions for migrant entrepreneurs to start transnational ventures (maintaining business networks in countries beyond their host nation), as well to understand if and how demographic clusters alter these results. This article provides a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA) on the forms of capital of migrant entrepreneurs in Norway.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative comparative analysis study on 30 migrant entrepreneurs from Norwegian entrepreneurship support programs (ESPs). Data collection is from structured telephone interviews and nonparticipant observation via an entrepreneurship management system that served as an integral part of those ESPs. Using R Studio and the QCA and SetMethods packages, we carried out QCA analysis and cluster analysis to gain insights about which configurations from three forms of capital are sufficient for transnational migrant entrepreneurship outcomes. Via cluster analysis, we examined how well the model could explain the outcome for subsets of the population for details not covered by the configurations.FindingsThe empirical results demonstrate that transnational migrant entrepreneurship stems from two possible configurations, both involving high levels of human capital, with one configuration having a high level of financial capital and the other having a high level of social capital. The cluster analysis reveals that these results apply to most demographic groups regardless of age, gender, country of origin and reason for moving to Norway. However, the model fits best for those who move to Norway because of a lack of prospects in their home countries.Research limitations/implicationsThe article focuses on Norway and migrant participants of ESPs. Nonmigrant participants and those in programs outside Norway could exhibit different configurations, as could migrant entrepreneurs who do not attend ESPs.Practical implicationsPolicymakers and those running ESPs in Norway can have a better understanding of who is ready to become a transnational migrant entrepreneur based on the forms of capital that they have when expressing interest in an ESP and can offer support accordingly.Social implicationsParticipation in the host country labor market is an important aspect of societal inclusion. Understanding how to support those with an interest in transnational entrepreneurship as a pathway to joining the host country's labor market can help reach national goals of increasing such inclusion.Originality/valueThe article contributes towards a better understanding of how forms of capital configure to become sufficient for the outcome of transnational migrant entrepreneurship. By using QCA and clusters analysis, it provides a unique perspective on migrant entrepreneurship support, to help policymakers in understanding the resources that are required for transnational ventures and to help practitioners understand more about demographic differentiation in forms of capital for participants of ESPs. It also contributes to a deeper theoretical understanding of mixed embeddedness, the forms of capital and transnational migrant entrepreneurship, by revealing the interacting dynamics of human, social and financial capital.

The concept of entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) has gained a prominent role in the field of entrepreneur-ship research, as it provides a framework to examine the contextual factors and interdependencies that shape entrepre-neurial activity within specific regions. Building on this foundation, a young but growing body of research has started to adopt a systems perspective to capture the complex nature of EEs, aiming to understand how they evolve over time through the interactions of interconnected elements and dynamic processes. In this context, the investigation of the evolving structure of EEs, particularly at the actor level, remains an under-explored area. To address this gap, this study investigates structural changes within a support-oriented subsystem of the cultural and creative sectors EE in Norway. Drawing on nonparticipant observation data from 646 entrepreneurs collected before and after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we apply text mining, qualitative content analysis, and social network analysis to examine aggregated connections between artist categories and their most frequently mentioned network partners. By comparing the network structures across both time periods, the study sheds light on changes in the structural positioning and centrality of different actor groups in response to an external shock.

Entrepreneurs are driven by varied motives ranging from financial gain to social impact and more. Understanding this multifaceted landscape of entrepreneurial activity often requires a standardized outcome metric. Relying on measures specific for single types of entrepreneurs fails to account for this diversity and to conduct studies targeting wider samples. Thus, we argue that venture survival could serve as a more universally applicable performance measure. As a baseline for all entrepreneurial types, it represents a prerequisite for growth, profitability, or impact. This research note thus calls for adopting venture survival as a foundational metric, enabling researchers to delve deeper into different entrepreneurial motivations, providing practical guidance for entrepreneurship research. Future studies should furthermore explore differences between the survival of the company and of the venture's core idea.

Although entrepreneurship support, women entrepreneurship, and sustainable entrepreneurship are highly relevant for society, the environment, and politics, research on this topic is rare, the results are divergent and there is a lack of focus on the characteristics of support mechanisms. In light of this, we conduct a qualitative content analysis of an entrepreneurship support program for sustainable entrepreneurs in Sweden and its women entrepreneurs. The main objectives of this paper are to identify and investigate the factors that influence the matching of an entrepreneurship support program with women entrepreneurs, and to better understand these processes. This study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the establishment, recruitment, and decision to attend a support program from the different parties involved. By using data from semi-structured interviews, desk research and an additional dataset, we found ten prerequisites and factors that influence the matching process between an entrepreneurship support program and women entrepreneurs. The paper offers a matching model that highlights possible differences in the motivation of different stakeholders and the relationships between these differences. By focusing on women sustainable entrepreneurship, this paper contributes to the current discussion on the specific needs these entrepreneurs experience in the initial phases of entrepreneurship support and shows how policy makers and direct support providers can improve their support practices.

The concept of entrepreneurial ecosystems has evolved as a promising approach in entrepreneurship research that enables an understanding of how regions foster entrepreneurial activities and how those activities can impact economic growth. Resources in entrepreneurial ecosystems play a crucial role, as they can help to enable startup activity, entrepreneurial action and contribute to the ecosystem. Even though the extant literature highlights the importance of resource endowments for regional economic development, we still lack an understanding of how new ventures interact with the resources of their ecosystem. Moreover, the focus of studies so far has been set on national and regional levels, neglecting inter-ecosystem comparative studies. Therefore, our study seeks to assess the availability and accessibility of entrepreneurial resources within different regions by using Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) to compare 600 entrepreneurial projects in developed and emerging economies. It adds to the existing literature on resources in entrepreneurial ecosystems in emerging and developed economies and can guide decision-makers in improving the availability of these elements, increasing the chances of developing a thriving ecosystem that fosters the creation of new ventures.

The industrial evolution and emerging global challenges in the 21st century demand innovative strategies from firms to remain competitive. Scholars increasingly explore the phenomenon of hybridization within business models (BMs) to address these multifaceted challenges. However, the dynamics and characteristics of hybridization within BM configurations and patterns remain largely unexplored. The aim of this study is to analyze BM activities of young ventures and entrepreneurial projects, and to investigate the impact of hybrid BM components on venture performance, providing valuable insights into the complex relationship between multiple hybrid BM dimensions. Utilizing a comprehensive dataset rooted in activity-based text data, we employ text-mining and qualitative clustering methods to identify BM design variables across multiple BM dimensions within a morphological framework. Based on the developed framework, the BM design variables are then calibrated into conditions for Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) to examine the impact of the hybridization of BM components on venture performance. The investigation yielded 59 distinct BM design variables across eight dimensions within three BM components. We identified three consistent BM configurations through QCA crucial for venture performance. These configurations highlight the significance of aligning various BM components and emphasize how customer and product orientation within business strategy can be used to gain competitive advantages in complex markets.

Entrepreneurial activity and especially sustainable entrepreneurship (SE) significantly impact the achievement of the sustainability transition. While we have a decent understanding of the drivers of entrepreneurial activity, there is limited knowledge and no systematic consolidation of existing work examining what motivates entrepreneurs to engage in SE. To address this issue, we conducted a systematic literature review analyzing 50 papers derived from the Scopus database since 2017. We found that the specific construct discussed in this literature is the Motivation for Sustainable Entrepreneurship (MSE) and argue that it is a combined construct comprising the motivation to have an impact on sustainability and the motivation to become an entrepreneur. We conclude by suggesting three areas for future research: First, a clear definition of MSE is needed, distinguishing what constitutes motivation for impacting sustainable development and motivation for engaging in entrepreneurship. Second, despite having a good understanding of the factors influencing MSE, these are often based on specific case-studies and could benefit from larger and more diverse samples as well as research methods. Third, we have a very limited understanding of the effect of MSE on new venture creation, entrepreneurial practices, performance, and success.

Entrepreneurship research would benefit from a mechanism gathering activity data from a large number of entrepreneurial initiatives. This paper starts by building on Zott and Amit’s activity system perspective to introduce a holistic activity model of entrepreneurship containing seven steps and 29 elements. This model has been used by 13,927 entrepreneurial projects between the years of 2015 to 2022. By applying a digital, non-participant observation method, this led to the development of a dataset containing information on 935,745 activities. We use three concrete research cases to exemplify how this model, method and dataset can be utilized for bringing research on entrepreneurial activities forward.

The Entrepreneurial Ecosystem construct is gaining widespread popularity due to its holistic approach to enabling entrepreneurship, which in turn fosters economic growth. Consequently, a plethora of studies have been devoted to theorising, examining its attributes, and measuring its impact, with the aim of identifying ways to enhance its contribution. Despite its significance, however, there are challenges associated with identifying suitable measurement instruments that can assess these attributes and determine how they jointly facilitate the survival of new ventures in diverse regions. In this paper, we utilise Qualitative Comparative Analysis to compare 167 ventures in developed and emerging economies, to determine how the various elements of the entrepreneurial ecosystem combine to achieve the desired outcome of new venture survival. Our study adds to the existing literature on ecosystem measurement and provides valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners in identifying potential configurations of ecosystem elements that can support entrepreneurship in different regions. It also represents a novel approach to entrepreneurial ecosystem studies, paving the way for future empirical entrepreneurship research.

As the global focus on sustainable development intensifies, understanding its integration with entrepreneurship becomes crucial for fostering responsible growth and innovation. This study delves deeper into how sustainability is incorporated into various aspects of a venture, such as entrepreneur's values, the venture's objectives and business models, and how these elements jointly impact venture performance. We analyse a sample comprising 515 cases of entrepreneurial projects in Scandinavia utilizing a Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) approach. We identify four explanatory configurations that contribute to venture performance, each representing a certain set of causal synergetic variables. By focusing on simplified, logical statements that describe configurations of conditions for the outcome, we gain insights into decision-making processes and strategies of entrepreneurs regarding sustainability orientation and contextualize them with socio-economic influencing factors. This study enriches the literature by offering a unique perspective on the interplay between sustainability aspects, entrepreneurial values, business model orientation, objectives, entrepreneurship support, and decision-making processes in relation to venture performance.

This paper proposes a novel research design for analyzing how Entrepreneurial Support (ES) can impact Entrepreneurial Activity (EA) in general and activities carried out by migrant entrepreneurs specifically. It develops a case study based on a Norwegian migrant entrepreneurship research project, comparing three ES programs for migrants with three ES programs for non-migrants and two mixed programs over a three-year period. The key features of the new design set out in this paper are 1) the usage of a Systemic Entrepreneurship Activity Method (S-E-A-M) and digital platform for the ES referred to as Entrepreneurship Management System (EMS), 2) a digital observation method collecting mixed methods data via the EMS, 3) the comparative and longitudinal nature of the study analyzing different groups of entrepreneurs over three years and 4) the co-creative nature of the study involving the entrepreneurs in the ES design.