Evelina Van Mensel, Zornitsa Yordanova, Nikolay A. Dentchev
Abstract: Social entrepreneurs (SEs) play a pivotal role in addressing social and environmental challenges through the application of innovative business models. Integrating the best practices from businesses, non-governmental, and governmental organizations, social entrepreneurs strive to achieve a balance between commercial and social objectives. However, they face significant challenges, including access to funding, talent attraction and retention, measuring social impact, and legitimacy. Overcoming these challenges is crucial for enhancing social impact. Social entrepreneurs require support from various organizations that facilitate knowledge exchange, information, resources, and contacts. These organizations collaborate closely within the entrepreneurial ecosystem, aiming to promote and support entrepreneurship. Collaboration between social entrepreneurs and various organizations contributes to improving the effectiveness and sustainability of their social businesses while also contributing to the development of communities, regions, and the environment. Scholars unanimously agree on the importance of understanding social entrepreneurship and advocate for more research to identify support mechanisms in specific contexts and enhance the social impact that social entrepreneurs can create. Public assets in the form of real estate, provided by municipalities and universities, for example, can play a crucial role in supporting the mission of social entrepreneurs to develop innovative solutions to urgent social problems. Sometimes, the existence of such initiatives predetermines the creation and survival of social entrepreneurs. These initiatives encompass a wide range of activities, including repurposing vacant public buildings for public use and developing projects for affordable housing. Through a qualitative approach involving interviews, focus groups, and document analysis, this research highlights innovative real estate initiatives and their role in fostering resilient, inclusive ecosystems for social entrepreneurship.
Key words: social entrepreneurship; real estate; entrepreneurial ecosystem; public assets; support.
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