From failing forward to thriving: how entrepreneurial learning shapes ecosystems

Based on entrepreneurial cognition and experiential learning theories, this article explores the complexities of entrepreneurial learning from business failure and its reflections on the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Qualitative research was conducted through individual in-depth interviews and focus groups, and the data was subjected to content analysis using NVivo software. The data analysed relates the nature of the failure to their reflections on entrepreneurial learning and the most relevant content used in the entrepreneur's resurgence. It analysed how the entrepreneurial ecosystem absorbs and recycles learning from failure, impacting the creation of new businesses. This study explored themes from emerging economies based on the triangulation of data from startups from different sectors and levels of maturity from the perspective of founding partners, directors, employees and managers of incubators and accelerators. The results show that learning from a critical event profoundly impacts the performance of entrepreneurial ecosystems and influences their vocation and the adhesion of new ventures to the sectors analysed. In practical terms, the findings can support policymakers in identifying factors that can be leveraged to bring about change at a macro level, identifying appropriate incentives for social networks and sharing experiential knowledge. The study provides evidence that microlearning strategies adopted and developed after critical events impact the performance of the entrepreneurial ecosystem related to the creation and diffusion of new ventures.