Abstract

Business incubators are the catalysts in entrepreneurial ecosystems of a particular region, serving as a support venue for startups to scale up their businesses. Recognizing the underexplored role of incubators and accelerators in promoting immigrant entrepreneurship—and the imperative for host-country entrepreneurial ecosystems to ensure equitable access to resources and networks across diverse entrepreneurial groups—scholars have called for longitudinal research examining how these support structures facilitate immigrant entrepreneurship. Addressing these knowledge deficits, this study explores the motivations behind immigrant entrepreneurs' intentions to participate in a business incubation program, based on evidence from a business incubator in Finland. Building on the data collected through 21 semi-structured, open-ended interviews with entrepreneurial teams in the healthcare sector in Northern Finland and participant observations from the organizers of a business incubator, this study offers novel insights into how business incubators support immigrant entrepreneurs within regional entrepreneurial ecosystems. Our findings highlight that incubators not only provide access to resources and training but also play a critical role in addressing the unique structural and institutional barriers immigrant founders face. By framing immigrant engagement through the lenses of motivation and expectation alignment, this research contributes to ongoing debates on ecosystem inclusivity. Well-designed incubation programs can enhance the participation of underrepresented entrepreneurs by providing both operational support and strategic legitimacy. As such, this study advances theoretical discussions on entrepreneurial ecosystems while offering practical implications for designing more inclusive support structures.

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