Breaking Isolation through Ecosystem Integration - A qualitative study of support structures and perceived barriers for entrepreneurs in disadvantaged areas

Sammanfattning

Entrepreneurship is a vital driver of economic growth, yet access to necessary resources isunequally distributed, particularly for individuals in disadvantaged areas in Sweden. Despitethe existence of various support initiatives, there is a lack of understanding about howdifferent actors work to lower barriers and how the targeted entrepreneurs actually perceivethe provided support. The purpose of this thesis is to explore how public actors, privateactors, and cross-sector collaborations contribute to lowering entrepreneurial barriers indisadvantaged areas, and what effects they have on entrepreneurial conditions. The researchapplies a qualitative, exploratory cross-sectional design, based on 15 semi-structuredinterviews with actors and entrepreneurs operating in Sweden's three major cities, which wereevaluated using thematic analysis. The primary contribution of this study is identifying thecomplex layering of entrepreneurial barriers. It shows that entrepreneurs in disadvantagedareas must first overcome a psychological barrier rooted in limited exposure toentrepreneurship as a legitimate path, before accessing external support. It furtherdemonstrates that access to entrepreneurial resources in Sweden's disadvantaged areas isshaped by inherited connections rather than individual ability, where the absence of weak tiescreates a structural knowledge barrier and limits access to tacit entrepreneurial know-how.Finally, the study highlights identity-based exclusion in access to capital, showing howgeographic concentration and investor bias risks reproducing a structural trap that preventsscaling. The study concludes that support within the ecosystem must be stage-sensitive andtransition from short-term, project-based initatives, toward permanently institutionalisedstructures. Ultimately, without coordinated and long-term support, the ecosystem risksreproducing a structural gap where entrepreneurs in disadvantaged areas are merely supportedinto the ecosystem, but structurally prevented from scaling through it.