Entrepreneurial Micro-Ecosystems and Their Role for the Success of Digital Start-ups

While digital start-ups act more globally, they continue to be born locally. Consequently, the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) remains highly relevant to their success and survival. Although several calls exist to incorporate the micro-level when studying EEs, the current literature has mainly adopted a macro or meso-level perspective. However, analyzing micro-ecosystems seems promising in gathering more profound insight into the process of new venture creation, the success factors for early-stage digital start-ups, and the value of support organizations. This study sheds light on the factors that drive the success of digital start-ups within a very recent and promising type of micro-ecosystem called digital venture builder (DVB). By outlining several success factors throughout the entrepreneurial process and four managerial strategies for micro-ecosystems, we add to the emerging literature stream on digital entrepreneurship anchored in the research fields of information systems, innovation, and entrepreneurship.