Brunner, P., & Messeghem, K. (2025). Exploring the construction of social capital within the student entrepreneurship sub-ecosystem. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 37(9–10), 1288–1315. https://doi.org/10.1080/08985626.2025.2475907

Brunner, P., & Messeghem, K. (2025). Exploring the construction of social capital within the student entrepreneurship sub-ecosystem. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 37(9–10), 1288–1315. https://doi.org/10.1080/08985626.2025.2475907

This article aims to show how student entrepreneurs build their social capital within the student entrepreneurship sub-ecosystem. We conducted a single case study of the professional network of a cohort of students participating in an entrepreneurship program in Strasbourg. The analysis of their professional networks related to their entrepreneurial projects reveals a strong relational dynamic among student entrepreneurs at the beginning of the program, which gradually weakens over time.

Our findings also highlight the evolving dynamics of professional relationships with other actors in the student entrepreneurship sub-ecosystem, which tend to become more dispersed. However, the role of certain students appears to change over time, shifting from that of learners to that of entrepreneurs acting as intermediaries within the sub-ecosystem.