Digitalisation, ecosystems, entrepreneurship and policy

Digitalisation is transforming entrepreneurship in two ways. First, it is shifting the locus of entrepreneurial opportunities in the economy. Second, digitalisation is transforming entrepreneurial practices – or the best ways to pursue those opportunities. Combined, the two trends have given rise to a novel, distinctively different cluster type, the ‘entrepreneurial ecosystem’ (Autio, Nambisan, Thomas, & Wright, 2017). Yet, to date, there is little coherent understanding
of how digitalisation operates – indeed, what it even means – and what the implications are for entrepreneurship policy. Therefore, the objectives of this policy brief are to:
- Clarify the definition of digitalisation
- Clarify how digitalisation transforms entrepreneurship
- Clarify how digitalisation gives rise to entrepreneurial ecosystems
- Elaborate implications for entrepreneurship and innovation policy