Entrepreneurial Ecosystems

Abstract

Regional development is founded on creative and dynamic territories, where several partners collaborate to create ideal conditions to improve life living, business, job creation and regional competitiveness. Smart cities use networks to promote economic and political efficiency and to allow social, cultural and urban development. These regions present high standards respecting some indicators associated with, innovation, creativity, environment, life quality, entrepreneurial activities and support facilities. Entrepreneurial ecosystems are an important dimension for a region or city to become smart. These entrepreneurial ecosystems emerge as a compromise to foster entrepreneurship and economic development in a regional context. This chapter has two folds. Firstly, it aims to the discussion of core concepts, such as, smart city and how to define an entrepreneurial ecosystem. It also aims to its features, to understand if an entrepreneurial ecosystem is born or made and it pretends to show an example of a smart start-up city, which is the case of Lisbon.