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

Abstract

Entrepreneurship is a vital driver of economic growth, yet access to necessary resources is unequally distributed, particularly for individuals in disadvantaged areas in Sweden. Despite the existence of various support initiatives, there is a lack of understanding about how different actors work to lower barriers and how the targeted entrepreneurs actually perceive the provided support. The purpose of this thesis is to explore how public actors, private actors, and cross-sector collaborations contribute to lowering entrepreneurial barriers in disadvantaged areas, and what effects they have on entrepreneurial conditions. The research applies a qualitative, exploratory cross-sectional design, based on 15 semi-structured interviews with actors and entrepreneurs operating in Sweden's three major cities, which were evaluated using thematic analysis. The primary contribution of this study is identifying the complex layering of entrepreneurial barriers. It shows that entrepreneurs in disadvantaged areas must first overcome a psychological barrier rooted in limited exposure to entrepreneurship as a legitimate path, before accessing external support. It further demonstrates that access to entrepreneurial resources in Sweden's disadvantaged areas is shaped by inherited connections rather than individual ability, where the absence of weak ties creates a structural knowledge barrier and limits access to tacit entrepreneurial know-how. Finally, the study highlights identity-based exclusion in access to capital, showing how geographic concentration and investor bias risks reproducing a structural trap that prevents scaling. The study concludes that support within the ecosystem must be stage-sensitive and transition from short-term, project-based initatives, toward permanently institutionalised structures. Ultimately, without coordinated and long-term support, the ecosystem risks reproducing a structural gap where entrepreneurs in disadvantaged areas are merely supported into the ecosystem, but structurally prevented from scaling through it.