The innovative social oriented start-up: the role of entrepreneurship ecosystem and its impact on the social capital

In the managerial literature the local environment has always been considered as a source for the development of entrepreneurship, and the link with the local community is even more relevant when firms have a social mission. In the Italian context social firms plays a leading role, both in terms of size of the industry and social impact. Despite the importance of this phenomenon, very few specific studies have dealt with these issues that are still unexplored. Since these social oriented start-ups are becoming more important and prevalent, it is necessary for both marketers and researchers to have more insights about them. The paper aims: 1) to investigate the role of entrepreneurial ecosystem in the various steps of the development of a start-up and 2) to verify the role of the social mission as an enabler factor in the enhancement of relationship with the actors in the ecosystem. The case studies analysis on 8 social oriented startup allows to highlight the importance of the territorial ecosystem as a crucial element in the processes of creation and development of firms.