Where to now? New directions in supporting new venture creation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a summary and overview of the papers selected by the Guest Editors for this Special Issue on supporting new venture creation in the twenty‐first century. The paper seeks to identify key themes platformed in the articles, and to demonstrate how the papers' findings contribute to a possible new research agenda in the area of new venture creation support. Design/methodology/approach – This is a conceptual paper, providing a thematic editorial overview of the papers contained in this special issue. Findings – The paper helps further the understanding of the complexities of the new venture creation process, as well as the type of support required. Research limitations/implications – The paper is based on the collective findings of ten articles. Practical implications – Current support for new venture creation continues to be under‐utilised, under‐evaluated and not entirely aligned to the needs of aspiring and existing new venturers. Originality/value – The paper should be of value to those researching entrepreneurship and new venture creation support, as it suggests areas upon which scholars should focus. The paper also offers new directions for government to consider when planning future support initiatives, and calls for academics to be involved in objectively evaluating the effectiveness of existing initiatives.