DOI
https://doi.org/10.26481/mup.sbe.2611
Published On
20-08-2026
License
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0)
Copyright
© 2026 The Authors and Maastricht University
Third-party content – Note on images/photographs
The CC license does not apply to the photographs used in this report. The copyright of the photographs remains with the respective social entrepreneurs, who have granted permission for their use in this publication with attribution. These images may not be reused, reproduced or redistributed separately from this report without the prior consent of the copyright holders named in the individual captions.
Maastricht University Press
Series
Maastricht University Reports
Institution
Maastricht University | School of Business & Economics, Dept of Organisation, Strategy & Entrepreneurship
Description
This report presents the findings of a qualitative study examining how nine social enterprises in Mexico, Colombia, and Chile navigate complex entrepreneurial journeys.
Challenging conventional models that portray entrepreneurial development as a linear sequence of growth stages, the report proposes a contextual understanding of social enterprise development as a continuous, recursive process of adapting to changing circumstances.
The analysis identifies five recurring entrepreneurial journeys that illustrate how social enterprises protect community ownership, connect local producers with wider markets, improve access to essential services, use formalisation to strengthen organisational resilience, and recognise the limits of growth when organisational complexity outpaces capacity.
These insights underpin a practical framework that conceptualises social enterprise development as a recursive process of engagement, tension, adjustment, and temporary stability as organisations respond to evolving contextual conditions.
Building on these findings, the report distils three strategic recommendations for ecosystem actors.
- First, support organisations should recognise navigation and adaptation, alongside growth, as key indicators of entrepreneurial progress.
- Second, they should invest in relationships as essential organisational infrastructure.
- Third, they should strengthen the interpretation capacity needed to bridge communities, markets, institutions, and other stakeholders operating with different expectations and value systems.
Together, these insights offer practical guidance for accelerators, funders, policymakers, corporate partners, support organisations, and social entrepreneurs seeking to build more resilient, context-responsive support systems.
Publication details and metadata
Title
Contextualising the Entrepreneurial Journeys of Social Enterprises in Latin America
Subtitle
Lessons from Mexico, Chile, and Colombia
Authors
Dr. Sergio Páramo Ortiz (ORCID) – Maastricht University (ROR)
Dr. Abel Díaz González (ORCID) – Maastricht University (ROR)
Prof. Juliette Koning (ORCID) – Maastricht University (ROR)
Institution & Corresponding Author
Dr. Sergio Páramo Ortiz ✉️ – Maastricht University
School of Business and Economics
Department of Organisation and Entrepreneurship
Tongersestraat 53, 6211 LM Maastricht, Netherlands
Funding information
This report was funded by IKEA Social Entrepreneurship B.V. as part of a collaboration with Maastricht University.
Design and layout
MM360
Published by
Maastricht University Press | Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
DOI (digital version)
https://doi.org/10.26481/mup.sbe.2611
Published On
20 August 2026
Series
Maastricht University Reports
Copyright
© 2026 The Authors and Maastricht University
License
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0)
Third-party content – Note on images/photographs
The CC license does not apply to the photographs used in this report. The copyright of the photographs remains with the respective social entrepreneurs, who have granted permission for their use in this publication with attribution. These images may not be reused, reproduced or redistributed separately from this report without the prior consent of the copyright holders named in the individual captions.
Access to this publication
Download: https://umlib.nl/mup.sbe.2611.pdf
Read Online: https://umlib.nl/mup.sbe.2611.flip
Publication Type and Language
Report – English
Subject
Social Enterprise
Keywords
social enterprise, social entrepreneurship, entrepreneurial journeys, context, context navigation, organisational adaptation, accelerator programmes, entrepreneurial ecosystems, Latin America, qualitative case study
Audience
accelerators, funders, policymakers, corporations, social enterprise support organisations, social entrepreneurs
Citation for this work
Páramo Ortiz, S., Díaz González, A., & Koning, J. (2026). Contextualising the Entrepreneurial Journeys of Social Enterprises in Latin America: Lessons from Mexico, Chile, and Colombia. Maastricht University Press. https://doi.org/10.26481/mup.sbe.2611
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