Adapting a collective will and a way during a civil war: The persistence of an entrepreneurial ecosystem as an architecture of hope

Persistent war is an increasing reality for millions of people worldwide. War contexts create a wide range of problems, but paradoxically may fuel some entrepreneurial activities. This inductive, qualitative study explores how an entrepreneurial ecosystem was launched and sustained amid an ongoing civil war despite repeated setbacks, disruptions, and impediments to pursuing collective goals. Building on our longitudinal qualitative data, we show how the entrepreneurial ecosystem was repeatedly reshaped by altering collective goals as well as providing the pathways and sense of agency needed to make progress toward ever-shifting goals. Our research culminates in a grounded theoretical model of an entrepreneurial ecosystem of hope, which contributes to our comprehension of entrepreneurship within war-affected regions and provides valuable insights into the dynamics of collective hope. This study offers practical implications for policy makers and practitioners by illuminating the role of entrepreneurial phenomena in the challenging context of war. •An entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) structured collective action in a war context.•When initial goals failed, the EE persisted by symbolizing and structuring hope.•The EE adapted its goals, pathways, and agency to effectuate collective hope.•Dynamics of war led to uncoupling EE features, allowing persistence and progress.•Provides insights on entrepreneurship theory in war contexts and dynamics of hope.