Today's Messages

Title: Build It and They Will Come? Understanding the Emergence of an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem for Semiconductors in WNY

Date: Thursdays, October 23, 2025
Time: 12:15-1:30 p.m.
Location: Student Union 414
Presenter: Dr. Kathleen Burke, Stockholm School of Economics

The New York Smart I-Corridor hosts five semiconductor fabrication plants and around 100 supply chain firms, forming a critical nucleus for the region’s semiconductor sector. Within this context, the Supply Chain Activation Network (SCAN), led by the University at Buffalo School of Management, has identified up to 4,000 local businesses with potential to enter this industry. Despite the sector's promise for transforming Upstate New York’s economic future, the current network remains fragmented—hindering knowledge exchange and strategic coordination in an inherently complex supply chain. This study addresses a key question: How do regional narratives and place-specific dynamics influence how industrial entrepreneurs identify and pursue opportunities in emerging sectors? Further, it asks how such narratives might be strategically leveraged to build a cohesive, sector-specific entrepreneurial ecosystem. In this session, Kathleen will present a case analysis and methodological approach grounded in the entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) framework, contributing to ongoing debates about the boundaries, formation, and dynamics of EEs.