Start-ups Support Ecosystems in Central and Eastern Europe
Main Article Content
Abstract
This research fills in the identified research gap in the way of supporting start-ups in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). It identifies the development level of different factors of the start-up ecosystems support and shows the countries which are leading in certain areas. The research continues and deepens the work of the research team that was conducted in the years 2019-2023. The current research results are based on the last available reporting period data, which is year 2023.
In order to reach the research objective, the authors have used several research methods, including literature analysis, secondary sources analysis, statistical analysis, and the expert panel conducted using the Delphi and binary comparison techniques. Research results have shown that Lithuania and Estonia are the leaders in start-up support ecosystems in CEE, while Poland, Czechia, Slovenia and Latvia are the next countries in terms of start-up support ecosystems maturity.
The research results have several practical implications regarding start-up support ecosystems evolution, data identification, and institutional best practices transfer, that impact the successes of CEE countries. Based on the recent reporting period data, the research continues to fill in the existing research gap in terms of a synthetic summary of the start-up support ecosystems in the CEE countries.
Downloads
Article Details

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
References
Adelino, M., MA, S. & Robinson, D. (2017). Firm Age, Investment Opportunities, and Job Creation. The Journal of Finance, 72, 999-1038, https://doi.org/10.1111/jofi.12495.
Audretsch, D., Colombelli, A., Grilli, L., Minola, T. & Rasmussen, E. (2020). Innovative start-ups and policy initiatives. Research Policy, 49(10), 104027, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2020.104027.
Audretsch, D.B., & Acs, Z.J. (1994). New-firm startups, technology, and macroeconomic fluctuations. Small Business Economics, 6, 439-449, https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01064858.
Autio, E. et al. (2018) ‘Digital affordances, spatial affordances, and the genesis of entrepreneurial ecosystems’, Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 12(1), 72–95, https://doi.org/10.1002/sej.1266.
Baran A., Zhumabaeva A., 2018. Intellectual property management in startups - problematic issues. Engineering Management in Production and Services, vol. 10, issue 2, 66-74, https://doi.org/10.2478/emj-2018-0012.
Bikse, V., Lusena – Ezera, I. & Rivza, B. (2020). Innovative start-ups: challenges and development opportunities in Latvia. International Journal of Innovation Science, 10(2), 261-273, https://doi.org/10.1108/IJIS-05-2017 0044.
Bonini S., Capizzi V., 2019. The role of venture capital in the emerging entrepreneurial finance ecosystem: future threats and opportunities, Venture Capital, vol. 2019, nos. 2-3, 137-175, https://doi.org/10.1080/13691066.2019.1608697.
Braunerhjelm, P., & Eklund, J. E. (2014). Taxes, tax administrative burdens and new firm formation. Kyklos, 67(1), 1–11, https://doi.org/10.1111/kykl.12040.
Breschi, S., Lassébie, J. & Menon, C. (2018). A portrait of innovative start-ups across countries. OECD Science, Technology and Industry Working Papers, 2018/02, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/f9ff02f4 en.
Campbell, C.M. (1996). The effects of state and industry economic conditions on new firm entry. Journal of Economics and Business, 48, 167-183, https://doi.org/10.1016/0148-6195(96)00075-6.
Criscuolo, P., Nicolaou, N., & Salter, A. (2012). The elixir (or burden) of youth? Exploring differences in innovation between start-ups and established firms. Research Policy, 41(2), 319-333.
Cullen, J. B., & Gordon, R. H. (2007). Taxes and entrepreneurial risk-taking: theory and evidence for the U.S. Journal of Public Economics, 91(7–8), 1479–1505, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2006.12.001.
Darnihamedani, P., Block, J.H., Hessels, J. & Simonyan, A. (2018). Taxes, start-up costs, and innovative entrepreneurship. Small Business Economics, 51, 355–369, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-018-0005-9.
Decker, R., Haltiwanger, J., Jarmin, R. & Miranda, J. (2014). The Role of Entrepreneurship in US Job Creation and Economic Dynamism. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 28(3), 3–24, https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.28.3.3.
Edwards, A. & Todtenhaupt, M. (2020). Capital gains taxation and funding for start-ups, Journal of Financial Economics, 138(2), 549-571, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2020.06.009.
Eurostat: Electricity prices for non-household consumers - bi-annual data (from 2007 onwards), https://doi.org/10.2908/NRG_PC_205.
Eurostat: Labour cost index by NACE Rev. 2 activity - nominal value, quarterly data, https://doi.org/10.2908/LC_LCI_R2_Q.
Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union: Artificial intelligence by size class of enterprise, https://doi.org/10.2908/ISOC_EB_AI.
Fernandes, A.J. and Ferreira, J.J. (2022) ‘Entrepreneurial ecosystems and networks: a literature review and research agenda’, Review of Managerial Science, 16(1), 189–247, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-020-00437-6.
Gentry, W., & Hubbard, G. (2000). Tax policy and entrepreneurial entry. The American Economic Review, 90(2), 283–287, https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.90.2.283.
Gordon, R. & Sarada (2018). How should taxes be designed to encourage entrepreneurship? Journal of Public Economics, 166, 1-11, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpubeco.2018.08.003.
Highfield, R.A., & Smiley, R.H. (1987). New business starts and economic activity: An empirical investigation. International Journal of Industrial Organization, 5, 51-66, https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-7187(87)90006-3.
Ilmakunnas, P., & Topi, J. (1996). Microeconomic and Macroeconomic Influences on Entry and Exit of Firms. Review of Industrial Organization, 15, 283-301, https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007786719982.
Kollmann, T., Stoeckmann, C., Hensellek, S., Kensbock, J. (2016). European Startup Monitor, German Startups Association. https://startupverband.de/fileadmin/startupverband/mediaarchiv/research/sonstige_studien/20161103_European_Startup_Monitor_2016.pdf
Mata, J. (1996). Business Conditions and Business Starts. International Journal of The Economics of Business, 3, 295-306, https://doi.org/10.1080/758539568.
Roundy, P.T., Bradshaw, M. and Brockman, B.K. (2018) ‘The emergence of entrepreneurial ecosystems: A complex adaptive systems approach’, Journal of Business Research, 86, 1–10, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.01.032.
Spigel, B. (2017) ‘The Relational Organization of Entrepreneurial Ecosystems’, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 41(1), 49–72, https://doi.org/10.1111/etap.12167.
Venâncio, A., Barros, V. & Raposo, C. (2022) Corporate taxes and high-quality entrepreneurship. Small Business Econonomics, 58, 353–382, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-020-00413-0.
Internet materials:
Basso A., Baltar E., Andonova E. (2018). Startup Innovation Ecosystems In Southern Europe. European Commission, Brussels. https://knowledge4policy.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/jrc113872-startup_ecosystems_in_southern_europe_en.pdf
Dealroom.co, https://app.dealroom.co
Deloitte (2017-2023) Tax guides and highlights, https://dits.deloitte.com/#TaxGuides
European Patent Office internet portal, https://new.epo.org/en/statistics-centre#/
EY (2017-2023), Tax and Law Guides, https://www.ey.com/en_gl/tax-guides
NPR: Why corporate bankruptcies were up in 2023 despite the improving economy, https://www.npr.org/2023/12/28/1221401948/bankruptcies-corporate-rise- inflation-2023-interest-rates
PwC (2017-2023), Worldwide Tax Summaries Online, https://taxsummaries.pwc.com
Reports:
Beauchamp M., Krysztofiak-Szopa J., Skala A. (2018). Polskie startupy. Raport 2018. Fundacja
Startup Poland
Startup Ecosystem Rankings Report 2023, www.report.startupblink
The Global Startup Ecosystem Index Report 2023, https://startupgenome.com