The power, process, and potential of mapping an entrepreneurial ecosystem

Fostering an entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE), the set of actors and factors coordinated to encourage entrepreneurial activity and innovation in a particular city or region, has become a focal point in contemporary economic development policy. But cultivating an EE is hard work, especially in places that are underresourced or typically not associated with entrepreneurship and innovation. This can leave motivated communities and their constituents overwhelmed about how and where to begin this lofty endeavor. This article suggests one starting point: creating an entrepreneurial ecosystem map. Uniquely fusing together extensive research on entrepreneurial ecosystems and cartography, this article examines the main elements of an EE and the basics of mapmaking before presenting an eight-step process for mapping an entrepreneurial ecosystem. Beyond articulating a basic process and key considerations for generating an EE map, this article suggests ecosystem maps can create value for a range of actors within and beyond the focal ecosystem and can serve several important roles in developing a community’s EE, aside from pointing entrepreneurs to needed resources. Further, I argue that the exercise of ecosystem mapping is just as—if not more—important than any maps it produces.