Entrepreneurial ecosystem: failure and recovery – 09.06.2022

The entrepreneurial ecosystem is a concept that refers to the context conducive to entrepreneurial dynamics within a territory. It underpins a dynamic stream of research concerned with the structure and dynamics of the ecosystem and the strategies implemented by its actors. Practitioners of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial support have widely embraced this concept, notably to develop partnership initiatives.

The entrepreneurial ecosystem is very often associated with the idea of success, growth or sustainable development. The question of failure is rarely addressed. Yet the survival rate of businesses after 5 years rarely exceeds 50%, and this rate is even lower for some start-ups. The challenge is to understand how the entrepreneurial ecosystem deals with entrepreneurial failure and how it helps entrepreneurs to bounce back. In a context of crisis, researchers and policymakers may benefit from examining the resilience of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. This round table aims to fuel a debate on this question between researchers from Sherbrooke and Montpellier and practitioners from the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

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