15506: Necessity, Sufficiency and Dynamics in Europe and Asia-Pacific Digital Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (session 26076)

Digital Entrepreneurial Ecosystems (DEEs) have emerged as critical frameworks for fostering high-growth ventures in a rapidly digitalising global economy. While prior studies have explored entrepreneurial ecosystems, limited attention has been given to the necessity and sufficiency of DEE conditions across diverse regions. This study examines Europe and Asia-Pacific regions with distinct economic, cultural, and systemic characteristics to uncover the critical elements driving venture creation. Adopting a mixed-methods approach, the study integrates fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis and Necessary Condition Analysis to evaluate DEE elements. Data from 57 countries were analysed to determine the best configurations of conditions to generate startups, unicorns, and digitally-enabled unicorns. The findings reveal regional disparities: Europe benefits from robust market conditions and knowledge creation and dissemination. Conversely, Asia-Pacific is characterised by resource scarcity and the absence of critical systemic conditions. The study concludes that resource dependencies and DEE systemic configurations shape venture creation differently across regions, advancing the application of Resource Dependency Theory in DEE contexts. It also highlights the need for tailored policy interventions, with Europe focusing on enhancing institutional integration and Asia-Pacific addressing infrastructural and regulatory gaps. A pioneering conceptual framework elucidates the necessity and sufficiency of these DEE elements, which vary across regions, and what bottlenecks hinder venture creation in these DEEs. Our study offers a multi-level perspective illuminating systemic conditions and venture creation, enriching the theoretical discourse on DEEs.

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