Glenda Napier presented on supporting ecosystems for young scalable firms at an OECD meeting. She outlined that while entrepreneurship has increased, most firms remain small. Successful ecosystems include serial entrepreneurs, risk capital, knowledge institutions, and dealmakers that provide added value. Policy should shift from checking framework conditions to facilitating collaboration between conditions and ecosystem actors. Recommendations include developing sector and geography specific ecosystems, engaging key players like serial entrepreneurs, and integrating ecosystem and cluster policies.

1. Supporting ecosystems
for young scalable firms
Glenda Napier
Head of Analysis, REG X
OECD Meeting in the Hague, Thursday 7 November 2013

2. Today‟s outline
• Background
• Entrepreneurship ecosystems
• Policy implications

3. Background

4. A bulk of recent ecosystem
analysis and publications

6. However,
entrepreneurs are
MANY but remain
SMALL

8. Ecosystems for scalable firms

9. Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (2011)
Successful
blockbuster
reinvesting
Established
firms
Added value
Added value
Dealmakers
Service providers
Serial entrepreneurs
Knowledge
institutions
Added value
Added value
Risk capital
$

10. Benchmarking ecosystems

11. Entrepreneurial ecosystems
• Dynamic systems with heavy private
sector involvement
• Ecosystems build on local
geographical systems and have global
outreach
• The strength of ecosystems vary
across cities and industries and stages
• Ecosystems are sector-specific and
connects to cluster policies.

12. Policy implications

13. A new perspective
- from ”checking off” framework conditions to
creating the glue between them and facilitate
collaboration
Framework condition 1
Framework condition 2
Framework condition 3
Framework condition 4
Framework condition 5
F
C
1
F
C
FC
3
F
C
2
4
F
C
5
Ecosystem glue:
Serial
entrepreneurs
dealmakers, experi
enced
management
teams

14. Startup-America Partnership to
develop stronger ecosystems
America’s Top Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders Form New
Alliance
Launched at the White House in January 2011, the Startup America
Partnership is an independent alliance of top entrepreneurs,
investors, corporations, universities, foundations, and other
leaders, joining together to grow the entrepreneurial ecosystems that
support innovative, high-growth U.S. startups.
The Startup America Partnership has already mobilized more
than $1 billion in private-sector commitments to provide
products, services, mentorship and funding to scale and grow
100,000 U.S. startups over the next three years.

15. Recommendations – KNOWLEDGE
• Revisit framework conditions and include measures
for “ecosystem glue”
• Conduct ecosystem analysis based on ecosystem
model and identify it‟s strengths and weaknesses
• Develop more nuanced and internationally
comparable data on entrepreneurship (sectors and
metropolis)
• Better understanding of serial entrepreneurs
• New internationally comparable performance data
and indicators reflecting the „born-big‟ and
blockbuster firm activities
15

16. Recommendations – ACTION
• Shape sector-specific and geographically anchored
ecosystems for growth entrepreneurs
• Identify and involve key actors within the different
groups such as serial entrepreneurs, established firms,
etc.
• Engage in an Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Dialogue
with the participation of key ecosystem actors (see
above) and with a heavy private sector commitment
• Integrate ecosystem and cluster policy development
in order to facilitate/strengthen sector-specific
ecosystems
16

17. Thank you!
Glenda Napier
Head of Analysis
glenda@regx.dk