Wirtschafts- und Sozialgeographie WeEco

WeEco is a transatlantic research initiative that explores how women entrepreneurs experience inclusion and exclusion within entrepreneurial ecosystems in Colombia, Germany, and Switzerland. Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) through the SPIRIT program, the project brings together a team of female researchers with expertise in feminist and economic geography, economics, and entrepreneurship studies. Grounded in an intersectional perspective, WeEco examines how factors such as socioeconomic background, race/ethnicity, migration status, and care responsibilities shape women’s entrepreneurial experiences. By understanding the challenges they face and the strategies they develop, the project aims to contribute to building more inclusive and supportive ecosystems across diverse contexts.

WeEco employs a comparative case study design to investigate entrepreneurial ecosystems in Colombia, Germany, and Switzerland. Through qualitative methods—including in-depth, semi-structured interviews—and the use of inclusive, creative tools, we aim to better understand and make visible how women entrepreneurs navigate these ecosystems and how their experiences are shaped by intersecting social positions. At the University of Heidelberg, our team focuses on the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Berlin, the German capital and a leading European startup hub. Berlin’s diverse environment, paired with persistent inequalities in the startup scene, provides a valuable setting to explore how inclusion and exclusion are experienced by women entrepreneurs.

Vorträge

• 06/2024 Experiences of Inclusion and Exclusion in Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: A Systematic Literature Review and Intersectional Framework. Annual Conference of the Regional Studies Association (RSA), Florence. Micaela Lois, Dr. Isabella Stingl, Prof. Dr. Heike Mayer & Dr. Susann Schäfer
• 05/2024 Intersectional Perspectives on Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Resources: A Systematic Literature Review. Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Research Spring School, Stuttgart. Micaela Lois & Dr. Isabella Stingl

• 06/2024 Diversity and Inclusion in Entrepreneurial Ecosystems. Paper Sessions at Annual Conference of the Regional Studies Association (RSA), Florence. Prof.in Dr.in Heike Mayer, Prof.in Dr.in Susann Schäfer & Prof.in Dr.in Jana Schmutzler