Entrepreneurship of Sustainable High-Growth Firms

This book develops a comprehensive theoretical and empirical framework explaining how entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) influence firms’ sustainable high growth (SHG). Its core objective is to conceptualize SHG as a key outcome of entrepreneurial ecosystems and to empirically verify whether, and through which mechanisms, ecosystems foster sustainable firm expansion.

The theoretical part is based on a narrative literature review covering entrepreneurial ecosystems, firm growth, and growth determinants. It integrates ecosystem thinking with firm-level perspectives, including the resource-based view, and advances theory by defining the output of EEs as sustainable high-growth entrepreneurship—growth that combines size dynamics, profitability, and social benefits.

Methodologically, this book makes a strong contribution by applying a quantitative, large-scale approach that remains rare in EE research. Using firm-level microdata for over 43,000 enterprises and regional data for Polish ecosystems from 2018–2022, it employs panel logistic regression, marginal effects analysis, Bayesian regression, and spectral clustering. Entrepreneurial ecosystems are operationalized through six dimensions and the study also captures firm heterogeneity, prior growth, and spatial interactions between neighboring ecosystems.

Practically, the findings offer valuable insights for policymakers and regional development practitioners. By identifying ecosystem configurations most conducive to SHG, this book provides evidence-based guidance for designing targeted entrepreneurship and regional policies that promote productive, sustainable firm growth.

The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.

Sławomir Konopa, PhD, is an affiliate at Indiana University Bloomington, Ostrom Workshop, United States. He earned his PhD in economics and finance with honors from the Jagiellonian University, Poland. He is also pursuing a master's degree in Accounting and Financial Management at Jagiellonian University. During his studies, he deepened his knowledge of economics at leading institutions including Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Oxford, and Paris and Barcelona Schools of Economics. He has received multiple scholarships for academic excellence, and his master’s thesis won first place in a national competition for the best thesis in the field of entrepreneurship, organized by the Council for Entrepreneurship at the Office of the President of the Republic of Poland. His research interests focus on entrepreneurship and sustainable development.

Marta Gancarczyk is a Full Professor and Head of the Department of Finance and International Economics at the Institute of Economics, Finance and Management, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. She holds her Ph.D. in Management Science from the University of Lodz, Poland; the Habilitated Ph.D. in Economics from Krakow University of Economics, Poland; and the Professor’s title based on the recommendation from the Polish Council of Excellence. Her research, publication, and consulting activities focus on entrepreneurship, industrial clusters, firm growth, regional and innovation policies, and public policy for small and medium-sized enterprises.