![[Pasted image 20250211134745.png|left|200]]Spigel B, Harrison R. Toward a process theory of entrepreneurial ecosystems. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal. 2018; 12: 151–168. DOI:/10.1002/sej.1268 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/sej.1268 Abstract: Entrepreneurial ecosystems have recently emerged as a popular concept within entrepreneurship policy and practitioner communities. Specifically, they are seen as a regional economic development strategy that is based around creating supportive environments that foster innovative start-ups. However, existing research on entrepreneurial ecosystems has been largely typological and atheoretical and has not yet explored how they influence the entrepreneurship process. This article critically examines the relationships between ecosystems and other existing literatures such as clusters and regional innovation systems. Drawing on this background, the article suggests that a process-based view of ecosystems provides a better framework to understand their role in supporting new venture creation. This framework is used to explain the evolution and transformation of entrepreneurial ecosystems and to create a typology of different ecosystem structures. * Most Read Article in Journal, 2018-2019; Web of Science Highly Cited Article from September 2020. * Received 2023 Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal Award for Best Paper