A new study co-authored by Aveline Cloitre, Assistant Professor at EMLV Business School and researcher within the SIRIUS Chair, examines how entrepreneurial support organisations contribute to sustainable entrepreneurship while navigating competing institutional demands.
Published in the peer-reviewed journal Industry and Innovation, the research offers new insights into the role these organisations play in the transition towards more sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems.
New research on sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems
Sustainable entrepreneurship has become a central topic for policymakers, entrepreneurs and researchers seeking to address environmental and societal challenges through innovation. While entrepreneurial ecosystems have been widely studied over the past decade, less attention has been given to the organisations that actively support entrepreneurs throughout this process.
In a new article published in Industry and Innovation (ABS-AJG 2024: 3; FNEGE 2025: 3), Aveline Cloitre, Assistant Professor at EMLV Business School, collaborated with Christina Theodoraki (Aix-Marseille Université) and Victor Dos Santos Paulino (TBS Education) to investigate how Entrepreneurial Support Organisations (ESOs) contribute to sustainable transitions within entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Conducted within the SIRIUS Chair, the study provides a deeper understanding of both the opportunities and the constraints faced by organisations supporting sustainable entrepreneurship.
Understanding the role of Entrepreneurial Support Organisations
Entrepreneurial Support Organisations include incubators, accelerators, innovation agencies, business support centres and other intermediary organisations that help entrepreneurs develop their projects. Beyond providing advice, funding opportunities or networking, these organisations increasingly contribute to broader sustainability objectives.
The research identifies two complementary roles played by ESOs during ecosystem transitions.
First, they act as enablers of sustainable entrepreneurship, supporting entrepreneurs who develop innovative solutions addressing environmental and social challenges.
Second, they function as interfaces within entrepreneurial ecosystems, connecting entrepreneurs with public institutions, investors, research organisations and private stakeholders. Through these interactions, ESOs facilitate collaboration and help coordinate the multiple actors involved in ecosystem transformation.
These findings reinforce the idea that support organisations represent essential components of sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystems rather than simply service providers for start-ups.
When institutional pressures create tensions
The study also highlights the challenges faced by Entrepreneurial Support Organisations as sustainability becomes an increasingly important policy objective.
Drawing on an abductive qualitative methodology based on 45 semi-structured interviews, the researchers show that ESOs experience a dual institutional pressure. They must simultaneously respond to expectations from different institutional actors while supporting entrepreneurs with diverse priorities and business models.
These competing demands may generate institutional misalignments, making it difficult for support organisations to design coherent support programmes. As a result, sustainability initiatives may become less effective and, in some cases, create a risk of greenwashing, where sustainability objectives are promoted without corresponding practical impact.
Rather than viewing ESOs solely as facilitators of sustainable entrepreneurship, the research demonstrates that their effectiveness is strongly influenced by the institutional environments in which they operate.
Contributing to entrepreneurship and innovation research
By examining the intersection of entrepreneurial ecosystems, sustainability and institutional theory, the publication contributes to a growing body of international research exploring how entrepreneurial ecosystems evolve in response to major societal transitions.
The study advances existing knowledge by positioning Entrepreneurial Support Organisations as central actors in ecosystem transformation while acknowledging the structural limitations they encounter. These insights can inform researchers, public decision-makers and organisations involved in designing entrepreneurship support policies that align economic development with sustainability objectives.
The publication also reflects EMLV’s research activities in entrepreneurship, innovation and responsible management, areas developed through collaborations with international academic partners and research chairs such as SIRIUS.
Learn more about EMLV’s research strategy
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