Beyond coping: A process model of entrepreneurial ecosystem resilience under polycrisis

Persistent external crises increasingly shape the conditions for entrepreneurial activity, but little is known about how entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) respond to prolonged and overlapping disruptions. This study examines how a mature EE sustains entrepreneurial activity, preserves and adapts ecosystem functions, and undergoes structural reconfiguration under polycrisis conditions. Drawing on data collected between 2021 and 2024, we develop a process-based model of EE resilience. The findings reveal a layered, path-dependent process through which resilience unfolds over time, comprising three interrelated dynamics: (1) preexisting cultural and structural conditions, (2) emergence of EE-level resilience pathways through routinized crisis response and collective opportunity framing, and (3) subsequent structural reconfiguration. Rather than returning to a precrisis equilibrium, the EE reorients its developmental trajectory through sectoral diversification, broader participation, and changes in the investment landscape. By integrating EE research with evolutionary resilience theory, this study advances understanding of how EEs adapt and transform under polycrisis.