Abstract

Entrepreneurial ecosystems play a central role in promoting innovation and economic development. They consist of a network of actors, institutions, and resources that support business creation. The dynamics of entrepreneurship and the availability of resources relevant to founding a business differ significantly between urban and rural areas. Urban agglomerations are characterized by a high density of actors, better access to capital, universities/knowledge, and human capital, whereas rural and less densely populated areas are marked by lower cost structures and specific local resources. The aim of this project is to operationalize the ten entrepreneurial ecosystem factors according to Stam (2015) and to examine them with regard to differences in their impact and composition between urban and rural areas.