Abstract:

While entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) research has traditionally prioritised economic growth,
emerging scholarship calls for broader understandings of value creation encompassing social
and cultural dimensions. This study explores how University Innovation and Entrepreneurial
Ecosystems (UIEEs) support student-led creative ventures by navigating the dualism between
artistic creativity and financial sustainability. Focusing on universities as non-profit, mission-
driven EE actors, we examine how they foster diverse value creation by supporting student-led
ventures in the cultural and creative industries (CCIs). Drawing on a qualitative case study of
Southwest England, we analyse university support for student-led creative ventures in
balancing symbolic and commercial imperatives in digitally mediated UIEE environments. We
further investigate how digital innovations shape the relevant university support. The findings
contribute to EE and CCI scholarship by demonstrating how UIEEs enable dual value creation
and the role of universities in digital entrepreneurial contexts.

Please choose your submission type: Developmental Paper

Primary Track: Entrepreneurship

Keywords: Entrepreneurship Theories;International entrepreneurship

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Prof Yongyi Shou