Universities in entrepreneurial ecosystems and MSME revitalization

ABSTRACT An entrepreneurial ecosystem is often referred to by scholars and policy makers as the environment surrounding entrepreneurial activity. Universities are key contributors to their communities in terms of economic development. Entrepreneurship education is important for empowering students and alumni in playing their role in their communities as a source of start-ups. There is a need to reimagine entrepreneurial education to focus on entrepreneurial mindset and entrepreneurial ecosystem building. Entrepreneurial education should contribute to building and boosting entrepreneurial ecosystems to facilitate start-ups and revitalization of micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises. This article is based on the qualitative case study method of data gathering and analysis with an inductive approach in the context of Kenya. The study finds that universities can be catalysts in building robust entrepreneurial ecosystems through their entrepreneurial activities, linkage to industry, and collaboration with government, the public, alumni and students, and other stakeholders in entrepreneurial ecosystems, thus contributing to the economic well-being of their communities. The implication for policy makers is that they should understand universities and their contribution to community entrepreneurial ecosystems so as to develop a comprehensive framework of support. The implication for researchers is the need for consolidation and development of modeling of linkages between universities and entrepreneurial activities and other players within the entrepreneurial ecosystems and adaptation of a more comprehensive framework for measuring the process and outcomes so as to effectively assess the health of different entrepreneurial ecosystems.