Entrepreneurial ecosystems in disadvantaged places: Spatial context, ‘place’, and policy

This article investigates how place and place-based funding shape enterprise support ecosystems, using a qualitative semi-case study of Devon and Cornwall in Southwest England. While interest in entrepreneurial context has grown, the spatial dimensions – how place, geography, scale, and local characteristics influence entrepreneurship – remain underexplored. Addressing this gap, the article contributes in two key ways. First, it offers a relational understanding of place, showing how entrepreneurial ecosystems are shaped by both wider political and economic forces and local factors such as socio-economic histories, gender cultures, social networks, place narratives, and targeted funding and support policies. Second, it presents empirical findings on how enterprise support providers and nascent entrepreneurs perceive the strengths and shortcomings of policies and funding aimed at disadvantaged places and populations. The findings highlight the importance of long-term, sustained funding in building local institutional depth, fostering sustainable and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems, supporting underrepresented groups, and sustaining local expertise in enterprise support. In sum, the article deepens the theoretical framing of place in entrepreneurship while offering practical insights for designing effective, place-sensitive enterprise support policies.