Regional transformation through technological entrepreneurship

What does it take for a region to foster technological entrepreneurship? Recently, there has been significant interest in this topic. Most writers on this topic emphasize the tangible infrastructure such as sound legal systems, transparent capital markets, advanced telecommunications and transportation systems, etc. Sound legal systems, capital markets, and other structural features are necessary prerequisites for technopreneurship; however, what I am calling the intangibles of entrepreneurship are the sufficient conditions that allow, specifically, for Schumpeterian entrepreneurship to thrive in a locality. Often, governments attempt to promote technopreneurship by injecting risk capital. They distribute these funds through small business development centers, and several regions and countries have even attempted “public” venture capital funds. However, my hypothesis is that if only risk capital is injected, it flows straight to low-quality entrepreneurship. Focusing on only risk capital, the investing government assumes that the risk capital itself will create all other prerequisites for growth. This is a major supposition. If risk capital is expected to produce extraordinary wealth, it must be accompanied by seven other intangibles, including, access to novel ideas, role models, informal forums, region-specific opportunities, safety nets, access to large markets, and executive leadership.

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