This research explores how perceived team efficacy and communication satisfaction within student teams influence team members’ commitment and willingness to continue in the context of university entrepreneurship programs. The results suggest that team communication and efficacy are influential from a commitment perspective. The research is based on the results of a quantitative survey among participating HSUP (Hungarian Startup University Program) students—a program available at all major Hungarian universities. The applied SEM modeling method provided an adequate instrument to understand better the impact of perceived team attributes on value and exchange-based commitment and identify some of these variables’ determinants. This research provides empirical evidence that the commitment of nascent student entrepreneurs, framed through project and profession focus, should incorporate a team perspective. The paper also formulates further research directions and implications for the design of university entrepreneurship programs. In addition to professional competencies (e.g., market research methods, business model building, MVP creation), the mentoring process should strengthen effective communication, team efficacy, and spirit within the entrepreneurial group. These elements significantly affect the commitment of group members, which in turn influences their willingness to continue on an individual level.

The creation and growth of new innovative small firms brings significant socio-economic benefits. Developing the entrepreneurial competencies of university students is an effective way to motivate entrepreneurship. In this study, we investigate the characteristics of 187 university start-up project teams, involving 880 students, founded in the Hungarian Startup University Program (HSUP) at 27 Hungarian universities as well as the potential impact of the program. Based on a quantitative content analysis of progress reports prepared by nascent entrepreneurial student teams, we draw conclusions about the competencies and composition of teams, and the market and technological development of the innovative projects they work on. The analysis reveals several useful implications for educators and policy makers regarding the management and development of HSUP and other similar entrepreneurship education initiatives.

The exploration of entrepreneurship has become a priority for scientific research in recent years. Understanding this phenomenon is particularly important for the transformation of entrepreneurship into action, which is a key factor in early-stage entrepreneurial activity. This gains particular relevance in the university environment, where, in addition to the conventional teaching and research functions, the entrepreneurial university operation based on open innovation, as well as the enhancement of entrepreneurial attitudes of researchers and students, are receiving increased attention. This study is based on a survey conducted among students attending a Hungarian university of applied science in Western Transdanubia Region who have demonstrated their existing entrepreneurial commitment by joining a national startup training and incubation programme. The main research question of the study is to what extent student entrepreneurship intention is influenced by the environment of the entrepreneurial university ecosystem and the support services available at the university. A further question is whether these factors are able to mitigate the negative effects of internal cognitive and external barriers by enhancing entrepreneurial attitudes and perceived behavioural control. The relatively large number of students involved in the programme allows the data to be analysed using SEM modelling. The results indicate a strong covariance between the perceived university support and environment among students. Another observation is the distinct effect of these institutional factors on perceived behavioural control of students.

The concept of ecosystem is becoming increasingly popular in economic, scientific and policy systems alike, and its use is embedded more and more in everyday practice. It provides a theoretical framework for policy planning documents, business plans and scientific research. This is facilitated by a holistic approach that understands ecosystems not only as resource allocation systems, but also as a complex structure of governance that includes cognitive elements and interactions. In parallel with its rise in popularity, indices and rankings have been developed for measuring and comparing the performance of individual ecosystems, influencing not only the associated discourse but also the decisions of ecosystem actors. Compared to the innovation and the entrepreneurship ecosystem frameworks, the concept of a startup ecosystem is a relatively new category. Related startup ecosystem rankings, emerging in recent years, are meant to provide performance comparability of these ecosystems. These rankings and their underlying variables have not been in the center of academic interest, but the holistic nature of the ecosystem conceptual framework requires a deeper understanding and analysis of the field. As a first step, a structured synthesis of appropriate research questions and future research directions must be ensured. The present paper attempts to do this by describing the specificities of the holistic ecosystem approach and a possible research agenda on startup ecosystem rankings.