Hannes Velt,
LUT University
Hannes Velt works as a post-doctoral researcher at LUT University. He is specializing in entrepreneurial ecosystems, born-global’s, startup’s and internalization process. His research is covering international business, entrepreneurship, and economic geography fields. He also teaches and mentors students and is involved with multiple externally funded projects at LUT University.
“It is important to employ new knowledge and skills gained from studies to further develop one’s own practical competences and continuously gain new experience. For me, it is all about life-long learning and knowledge implementation.”
Hannes describes himself as a “pracademic” due to his practical approach to academia. Before starting his career as a researcher, Hannes gained experience from consulting, international sales and entrepreneurial endeavors. When he gets curious or senses business opportunities, he perceives it as a chance to enhance his learning experience. He is proactive in screening for situations which challenges his intellect.
Hannes explains what ecosystems are and how companies can benefit from.
“In my view, networks are a multilayered system of webs which establish the baseline for the entrepreneurial ecosystem and enables transfer of many types of capital. Therefore, entrepreneurial ecosystems support entrepreneurial activities and behave as the habitat nurturing local companies towards international presence.”
According to Hannes, networks consist of nodes which are connected through ties. In a resilient ecosystem, there should be high levels of linkages that are diverse, intense and enable rapid connectivity. In vivacious entrepreneurial ecosystems, public, private and civil partnerships co-create the system and stronger the ties between these sectors more resilient the network becomes. Business networks facilitate social, cultural, financial and human capital through many layers of interactions.
Local entrepreneurial ecosystems initiate and foster entrepreneurial activities to create new value for the local and global communities. The main essence of entrepreneurial ecosystems is to facilitate the passage of value from local markets to global markets.
“Entrepreneurial ecosystems help companies to internationalize to offer value on a global scale.”
Entrepreneurial ecosystems have been introduced as a local mechanism for international entrepreneurship and -business research fields. Hannes describes internationalization as a process where local company offers substantial value to its customers by creating traction to be pulled towards global markets in the future.
“If you have an effective entrepreneurial ecosystem, you have strong platform to build and attract new knowledge, talent and capital for further innovation.”
Hannes explains that in the future companies and people will be even more connected. Ecosystems can work as a collective mechanism to help communities to work together towards greener future. Additionally, healthy ecosystems will help all stakeholders to deal with crises situations and when over, assist to adjust with new reality.
Hannes will be talking about ecosystems, internalization and international business in Greenreality Networks webinar: Internationalization - what's entrepreneurial ecosystems got to do with it?. The webinar is held on 22nd of March at 14.00-16.00 pm.
You can read more about the webinar and register for it online from Greenreality’s webpage.
