Exploring the role of university entrepreneurial ecosystem in shaping conditional student entrepreneurship

Abstract

This study explores how conditional student entrepreneurs perceive and experience the elements of the university entrepreneurial ecosystem that shape their entrepreneurial activities in an emerging economy. Qualitative data from 35 conditional student entrepreneurs across four Nigerian public universities revealed that while formal university programmes offered little direct support, the actual functioning university entrepreneurial ecosystem for conditional student entrepreneurs rested on informal, peer-based pillars: perceived accessibility of resources, community-based support, and entrepreneurial platforms. The combined influence of the three informal pillars of the university entrepreneurial ecosystem fosters two critical outcomes: adaptive resilience, where students develop flexibility and problem-solving capacity to navigate constraints, and entrepreneurial identity formation, where students internalize the role of the entrepreneur and gain confidence in pursuing micro-businesses to persist in their education. Our findings contribute to educational, policy, and practical implications by providing a detailed understanding of how the university entrepreneurial ecosystem can foster start-ups, sustainability and persistence among conditional student entrepreneurs in an emerging economy.