Leading and managing inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems

Purpose The purpose of this article is to discuss methods for leading and managing inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems (IEEs) that encourage inclusion and participation from underrepresented portions of their community for entrepreneurship ecosystems to represent and help all types of entrepreneurs in their region. Design/methodology/approach This article uses an in-depth interview method for data collection. Findings Our findings present challenges and opportunities in striving to have more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems (IEEs) by empathizing with different populations and co-creating new and novel programs to meet needs. Practical implications EE leaders should follow suit with entrepreneurs and utilize the customer discovery and design thinking processes to design resources and programming that reach the various needs of entrepreneurs from all backgrounds. This process should be co-created with stakeholders to allow those communities to have ownership in the final product. Originality/value This article takes a pracademic approach using both interviews and academic research to determine methods for fostering IEEs.