Fostering Entrepreneurial Ecosystems through the Stimulation and Mentorship of New Entrepreneurs

Abstract

Existing definitions of entrepreneurship highlight the functional role of entrepreneurs, emphasizing their responsibilities for coordination, allocating resources, making decisions, supplying capital, innovation, and bearing uncertainty. This research analyzes the impact that external funding and supportive soft-skills mechanisms such as mentorship, advice, and networking with experienced entrepreneurs have on transforming the entrepreneurial attitude of new entrepreneurs. In measuring attitudes regarding entrepreneurial success, a series of variables specific to the nature of the analyzed entrepreneurial ecosystem are revealed and adapted, starting from psychological research. This approach is implemented to evaluate the self-perception of efficacy and transformation of entrepreneurs after initiating their companies. The survey of Romanian new entrepreneurs is considered as the database. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) data set is used to consider entrepreneurial motives and impacts at the macrolevel. The correlation analysis, statistical tests, and ANOVA helped to reveal the differences in attitudes to mentorship and similar indicators in the Romanian business environment. The novelty of the research is seen in the consideration of field cases and a global monitoring data set through the prism of ground mathematical methods. The focus on boosting new entrepreneurs with a mixture of finance and soft skills support simultaneously addresses a research gap that is slightly closed by this research. The study showed that the mentoring program for new entrepreneurs increased their self-confidence, especially for young people, taught them how to run a company without outside interference, and significantly transformed the mentality of the participants in the experiment. Thus, the policy of supporting new entrepreneurs not only financially, but also in skills, has good prospects and needs to be intensified.