Entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystems in rural areas : Startup Village examples

Innovation and entrepreneurship can play a central role in revitalizing rural areas and turning them into places of opportunity. This report, part of the Startup Village Forum initiative's research activities, explores four cases of rural villages or groups of villages on their journey toward fostering innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems. Using the Startup Village Conceptualization framework, it assesses resource endowments, institutional arrangements, stakeholder engagement, and outcomes. The findings underscore the importance of institutional support, collaborative leadership, and skill development for successful startup villages, advocating for bottom-up governance and network establishment to drive rural development.