Entrepreneurial ecosystems as spatial mosaics: drivers of value creation across geographical spaces

Abstract

Recent literature highlights heterogeneous spatial patterns in entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs), traditionally viewed as territorially bounded phenomena. However, growing evidence suggests that EEs possess complex spatial topologies. Existing research, primarily at the EE level, lacks insights into how individual entrepreneurs navigate these spatial structures. This study takes a microfoundational approach to examine why and to what extent entrepreneurs engage with EEs at regional, national, and international levels to generate value. Our analysis focuses on knowledge-intensive entrepreneurs from the Innovative Research in Small Enterprises program, managed by the São Paulo Research Foundation, Brazil. Using a regression analysis of survey data from 146 entrepreneurs and insights from 17 semi-structured interviews, we explore how entrepreneurs actively configure their own EE across geographical scales. Findings reveal that entrepreneurs leverage EE resources differently based on the type of value they seek to create—economic, social, or environmental. Four key drivers explain these spatial configurations: (i) configurational voids, (ii) configurational inefficiencies in regional EEs, (iii) the pursuit of configurational diversity, and (iv) configurational upgrading. These dynamics give rise to “spatial mosaics,” wherein entrepreneurs perceive and assemble EEs as complex, multi-level structures. We propose a novel illustrative framework integrating entrepreneurial agency and spatiality as core components of EE dynamics, offering fresh insights into how entrepreneurs construct and navigate EEs beyond territorial boundaries.