Support Organizations and Remediating the Gender Gap in Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: A Case Study of St. Louis

Abstract

Entrepreneurship support organizations, such as accelerators, incubators, co-working spaces, and networking groups play a vital role by providing information, mentorship, networking opportunities, and other valuable resources for entrepreneurs throughout the venture creation and growth process. Within this context, we have observed emerging practices to include a diverse set of entrepreneurs (e.g. women and minorities) by support organizations in St. Louis, and at the same time, identified more demands from entrepreneurs for this purpose. Based on more than 80 interviews and observations, we provide voice to entrepreneurs who utilize these resources and discuss how support organizations can more effectively respond to these demands, expand their scope and reach, and bolster their own role in strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Keywords: women entrepreneurs, gender gap, support organizations, ecosystems