Entrepreneurs are exceptionally gifted individuals capable of spotting projects, marshaling resources, inventing ideas, taking risks, and forming businesses. Prospective entrepreneurs must be inspired and motivated to pursue self-employment businesses in today’s volatile business environment and highly sophisticated information technologies. However, governments have been attempting to promote entrepreneurship by assisting the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SMEs’ primary challenges are lack of working capital and marketing challenges. Entrepreneurship is a combination of difficult-to-teach skills, attitudes, and knowledge that can be developed. Entrepreneurship Ecosystems and Their Opportunities and Challenges explores and examines the importance of these factors in establishing a virtuous cycle of long-term sustainability in countries worldwide. The book promotes global communities to acquire an entrepreneurial mindset. Covering topics such as crowdfunding experiences, financial solutions, and social enterprises, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for entrepreneurs, business leaders, government officials, students and educators of higher education, researchers, and academicians.

This is a guide to understanding entrepreneurial ecosystems: what they are, why they matter, and to whom they matter. Ben Spigel explores this popular new theory of economic development, locating the intellectual roots of ecosystems, explaining the practices and processes that allow ecosystems to support the creation and growth of innovative entrepreneurial firms.

This book focuses on the Internet of Things (IoT). IoT has caught the imagination as a transformational technology that will positively impact a large and diverse array of socio-economic activities. This book explores this impact, beginning with a chapter highlighting the promises and complexities of the IoT. It then explores these in greater detail in subsequent chapters. The first of these chapters explores the patenting activity of leading companies and is followed by a discussion of the challenges faced by the growth of ‘unicorns’ within Europe. The fourth chapter outlines a methodology for determining when investments in IoT should occur and is followed by a discussion of how the data generated by IoT will change marketing related decisions. The scope and complexity of the regulatory and governance structures associated with the IoT are then explored in the sixth chapter. These issues are brought together in the final chapter, which identifies the opportunities and challenges emanating from the IoT and how these may be tackled. This book will be valuable reading to academics working in the field of disruptive technology, innovation management, and technological change more broadly.

An essential guide to building supportive entrepreneurial communities "Startup communities" are popping up everywhere, from cities like Boulder to Boston and even in countries such as Iceland. These types of entrepreneurial ecosystems are driving innovation and small business energy. Startup Communities documents the buzz, strategy, long-term perspective, and dynamics of building communities of entrepreneurs who can feed off of each other's talent, creativity, and support. Based on more than twenty years of Boulder-based entrepreneur turned-venture capitalist Brad Feld's experience in the field?as well as contributions from other innovative startup communities?this reliable resource skillfully explores what it takes to create an entrepreneurial community in any city, at any time. Along the way, it offers valuable insights into increasing the breadth and depth of the entrepreneurial ecosystem by multiplying connections among entrepreneurs and mentors, improving access to entrepreneurial education, and much more. Details the four critical principles needed to form a sustainable startup community Perfect for entrepreneurs and venture capitalists seeking fresh ideas and new opportunities Written by Brad Feld, a thought-leader in this field who has been an early-stage investor and successful entrepreneur for more than twenty years Engaging and informative, this practical guide not only shows you how startup communities work, but it also shows you how to make them work anywhere in the world.

With the rise of information and communication technologies in today’s world, many regions have begun to adapt into more resource-efficient communities. Integrating technology into a region’s use of resources, also known as smart territories, is becoming a trending topic of research. Understanding the relationship between these innovative techniques and how they impact social innovation is vital when analyzing the sustainable growth of highly populated regions. The Handbook of Research on Smart Territories and Entrepreneurial Ecosystems for Social Innovation and Sustainable Growth is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research on the global practices and initiatives of smart territories as well as their impact on sustainable development in different communities. While highlighting topics such as waste management, social innovation, and digital optimization, this publication is ideally designed for civil engineers, urban planners, policymakers, economists, administrators, social scientists, business executives, researchers, educators, and students seeking current research on the development of smart territories and entrepreneurship in various environments.

This book presents multidisciplinary research that expands our understanding of the innovation system (IS) and the entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) perspectives on regional economic development. It critically reviews the two concepts and explores the promise and the limits of bridging IS and EE, particularly as applied outside of the bubbling global hubs or to the types of entrepreneurship different from the high-growth variety.

This book addresses the lack of current research concerning disadvantage using an entrepreneurial ecosystem lens, and the failure of entrepreneurship policy to widen engagement in entrepreneurship for disadvantaged people and places.