2023 Volume 38 Issue 3 Pages 299-308
This paper focuses on the startup support in Kurashiki City, and presents a case study of how local support providers mutually cooperate and coordinate with each other. The study is based on a questionnaire survey and interviews with both support providers (city government and chamber of commerce and industry) and a user firm (Bounce back Inc.). By using data from both of them, the characteristics and contributions of the local startup ecosystem, as well as its challenges, can be better clarified. The analysis reveals that the "Kurashiki Entrepreneur Support Center", consisting of the city government, commerce and industry association, and financial institutions, forms the ecosystem of the region, and that this initiative is highly evaluated by the user firm. However, there are issues with the variety of support measures including follow-up, publicizing supports and how to approach a prospective person interested in starting a business.
