Building Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Sustainably

While entrepreneurship has traditionally been studied from the perspective of the entrepreneur or entrepreneurial enterprise, a modern view emphasizes the importance of the context in which the entrepreneur or enterprise operates. From this perspective, the entrepreneurial ecosystem describes the entrepreneurial context by disentangling the complex interdependent interactions between various organizations (biocenosis) and the milieu/environment in which the entrepreneur or company operates (biotope). However, previous research has neglected to provide a holistic view of the complex dynamics of ecosystems. In response, this study sheds light on the state of the art of this emerging theoretical framework, identifies research gaps that require further investigation, and designs a research program (i.e., the BEES program, Building Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Sustainably) to provide concrete directions for the development of entrepreneurial firms. This program contributes (i) to the theorization of the entrepreneurial ecosystems theoretical stream through a holistic vision; (ii) to a better understanding of the complex strategic dynamics and behaviors in this context; (iii) and to its successful implementation in different contexts. The BEES program facilitates the adoption of an ecosystem approach to building an entrepreneurial society and provides the impetus for the construction of a new school of scientific thought based on the ecosystem approach.