Toward Sustainable Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: mapping the ecosystem elements as enablers of Sustainable Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship research is increasingly evolving toward the theme of sustainability. At the same time, the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem perspective is progressively extending its focus to sustainable development. Despite these parallel advances, the two literatures have remained largely disconnected. This paper addresses this gap by examining which ecosystem dimensions, measured at the regional level, are most relevant in enabling the transition toward Sustainable Entrepreneurial Ecosystems. By integrating complementary frameworks and databases, we conduct a cluster analysis of 217 European regions to explore the overlaps between regional SDG coverage and multiple Entrepreneurial Ecosystem dimensions. Our results reveal a positive association between overall ecosystem development and a high concentration of sustainable startups, with particularly positive effects observed for physical infrastructure, finance, intermediary services, and demand. Interestingly, the network dimension - capturing regional connectedness - exhibits an inverse relationship with sustainability-oriented entrepreneurship. Moreover, our findings indicate that the effects of institutional arrangements are less pronounced than those of resource endowments in fostering sustainable startups. This misalignment is especially evident in regions with mature institutional and cultural frameworks, such as those in Northern and Western Europe, highlighting the need for differentiated policy approaches to support Sustainable Entrepreneurship across diverse regional contexts.