Constance Banc, Pratiques institutionnelles des micro-écosystèmes entrepreneuriaux : le cas des accélérateurs corporate

Defended on 01-07-2022

Supervised by Karim Messeghem

Entrepreneurial ecosystems are attracting growing interest, which calls for closer consideration of the institutional practices implemented by new entrants, such as corporate accelerators, that are capable of creating entrepreneurial micro-ecosystems.

This thesis lies at the intersection of research in entrepreneurship, strategic management and neo-institutionalism. It responds to calls for a better understanding of the corporate accelerator phenomenon and of the dynamics at the micro level of the ecosystem, particularly the institutionalisation and legitimacy building of these new entrants.

This doctoral work addresses the following research question: how can corporate accelerators become institutionalised and gain legitimacy within the entrepreneurial ecosystem?

This thesis is structured around 4 research articles and adopts a qualitative, abductive approach. It draws on a single case study of a large French group (case) and 9 corporate accelerators (sub-cases).

It contributes to the field of corporate accelerators through a contextual and institutional approach to their involvement in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. It contributes to the field of entrepreneurial ecosystems by shedding light on micro-level strategies, the multi-level interactions between actors and the microfoundations at work in institutionalisation and legitimacy building within the ecosystem. Finally, it contributes to the neo-institutional field by adapting the frameworks of institutional work and legitimacy so as to highlight actors’ everyday practices and the microfoundations of institutions. We make recommendations to established firms, ecosystem actors and public authorities for a better understanding of how entrepreneurial ecosystems function and evolve.