A Gendered Look at Entrepreneurship Ecosystems

Underlying entrepreneurship ecosystems is the implicit assumption that all entrepreneurs have equal access to resources, participation, and support, as well as an equal chance of a successful outcome (venture start-up). However in practice, this is not always the case. Research finds that when it comes to many aspects of the entrepreneurship ecosystem, women are at a disadvantage. In this paper, we offer a brief overview of current ecosystem frameworks pointing out where “gender” matters in ecosystems at the institutional, organizational, and individual levels. We go on to present a summary of the contributions to this special edition and conclude with suggestions for future research.