Increasing the Community of Support for Entrepreneurship

This study seeks to discover ways of improving the impact and effectiveness of entrepreneurial support organizations (ESOs) in the regional entrepreneurial ecosystem of Tampa Bay, Florida. First, the study establishes a comprehensive catalog (called the "Superset") of potential support programs that might be offered by ESOs and consumed by entrepreneurs. Through empirical data collection, entrepreneurs and ESO leaders rank the programs in the Superset according to their opinion of perceived value and importance for gaining competency in said program. The rankings allow a mapping of the regional ecosystem to identify gaps, inefficiencies, and improvement opportunities. The study discovers a lack of collaboration within the ESO community. It further suggests that an intra-community-focused implementation of initiatives across areas of emphasis (AoE) would increase the utility of the ESO Community. The suggested approach is captured in an artifact called a Playbook and an accompanying conceptual model. The Playbook is evaluated by capturing stakeholders' sentiments concerning the likelihood of increasing ESO utility if the Playbook were implemented.