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<p>The growth of urban entrepreneurial ecosystems depends not only on co-location of firms but also on the structure and quality of their networks. This study examines how formal investor connections and implicit informal proximity-based links affect the growth of technological startups in Warsaw, Poland. Administrative microdata for 567 startups founded in 2016 are used to construct (i) a formal network of investor ties, distinguishing between individual and corporate investors, and (ii) an implicit informal network based on spatial proximity within 1&#xa0;km, operationalised through a spatial weight matrix (SWM). Complex Network Analysis (CNA) is applied to describe network topology, and econometric modelling assesses the relationship between connectedness types and five-year asset growth. Results show that formal connectedness significantly enhances growth, whereas excessive co-location is associated with small but significant declines in performance, suggesting congestion and competition effects. The findings provide a transferable spatial-analytical framework for diagnosing connectivity in developing entrepreneurial ecosystems and offer actionable insights for urban policymakers, development agencies, and accelerators in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and beyond.</p>

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From Co-location to Growth: How Networks Shape Warsaw’s Digital Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年2月12日

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  • Maria Kubara

摘要

The growth of urban entrepreneurial ecosystems depends not only on co-location of firms but also on the structure and quality of their networks. This study examines how formal investor connections and implicit informal proximity-based links affect the growth of technological startups in Warsaw, Poland. Administrative microdata for 567 startups founded in 2016 are used to construct (i) a formal network of investor ties, distinguishing between individual and corporate investors, and (ii) an implicit informal network based on spatial proximity within 1 km, operationalised through a spatial weight matrix (SWM). Complex Network Analysis (CNA) is applied to describe network topology, and econometric modelling assesses the relationship between connectedness types and five-year asset growth. Results show that formal connectedness significantly enhances growth, whereas excessive co-location is associated with small but significant declines in performance, suggesting congestion and competition effects. The findings provide a transferable spatial-analytical framework for diagnosing connectivity in developing entrepreneurial ecosystems and offer actionable insights for urban policymakers, development agencies, and accelerators in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and beyond.