Entrepreneurial ecosystems: a systematic review

Purpose - The literature on entrepreneurial ecosystems is fragmented, and yet, no studies have paid attention to integrating the available studies. The purpose of this study is to provide a systematic review of contributions related to entrepreneurial ecosystems. Design/methodology/approach - This literature review evaluates studies that are covered in the Web of Science index. Findings - In addition to the recent state of research (covering industries, geographical scopes, methodologies, etc.), this study provides an extension of Isenberg’s (2011) model of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Research limitations/implications - A new avenue arises for both conceptual and empirical research by emphasizing crowdsourcing as a contributing element for the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Future studies can evaluate the effectiveness of different types of crowdsourcing profoundly to make sure whether creating a promising ecosystem all types of crowdsourcing have a similar value or impact. Practical implications - For public policy and local decision-makers, both collaboration opportunities and interaction interfaces between the stakeholders of the entrepreneurial need to be reconsidered in the design of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Social implications - Higher degrees of collaboration, information exchange and innovation are likely to yield favorable entrepreneurship environments. Originality/value - Novelty of this study arises from integrating crowdsourcing theory in the systematic review of entrepreneurial ecosystems.