This study enriches entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) theorisation by integrating complex adaptive systems (CAS) theory with social network analysis (SNA) to address a key gap: the conceptual and empirical understanding of entrepreneurial sub-ecosystems and their relational dynamics. Focusing on the Sherbrooke EE in Canada, the study identifies three main sub-ecosystems: academic, business and entrepreneurial support. SNA highlights the centrality of the University of Sherbrooke, the pivotal brokerage role of the entrepreneurial support sub-ecosystem and differentiated degrees of external openness. These findings clarify how anchoring, intermediation, and openness structure EE dynamics and offer actionable insights for policymakers and ecosystem stakeholders.
Messeghem et al. (Wed,) studied this question.