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How do technology-based accelerators build their legitimacy as new organizations in an emerging entrepreneurship ecosystem?

Berna Beyhan (Sabanci Business School, Sabanci University, Istanbul, Turkey)
Ibrahim Semih Akcomak (Science and Technology Policy Research Center (TEKPOL), Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey)
Dilek Cetindamar (School of Information, Systems and Modelling, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia)

Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies

ISSN: 2053-4604

Article publication date: 29 December 2022

Issue publication date: 13 June 2024

391

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to understand technology-based accelerators’ legitimation efforts in an emerging entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Design/methodology/approach

This research is based on qualitative inductive methodology using ten Turkish technology-based accelerators.

Findings

The analysis indicates that accelerators’ legitimation efforts are shaped around crafting a distinctive identity and mobilizing allies around this identity; and establishing new collaborations to enable collective action. Further, the authors observe two types of technology-based accelerators, namely, “deal flow makers” and “welfare stimulators” in Turkey. These variations among accelerators affect how they build their legitimacy. Different types of accelerators make alliances with different actors in the entrepreneurship ecosystem. Accelerators take collective action to build a collective identity and simultaneously imply how they are distinguished from other organizations in the same category and the ones in the old category.

Originality/value

This study presents a framework to understand how accelerators use strategies and actions to legitimize themselves as new organizations and advocate new norms, values and routines in an emerging entrepreneurship ecosystem. The framework also highlights how different accelerators support legitimacy building by managing the judgments of diverse audiences and increasing the variety of resources these audiences provide to the ecosystem.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to TUBITAK for its financial support through the funding of the project (SOBAG-115K204).

Citation

Beyhan, B., Akcomak, I.S. and Cetindamar, D. (2024), "How do technology-based accelerators build their legitimacy as new organizations in an emerging entrepreneurship ecosystem?", Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, Vol. 16 No. 4, pp. 954-976. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEEE-06-2022-0161

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

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