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This chapter argues that balanced power relations in local entrepreneurialecosystems (EEs) are crucial for cooperation amongst entrepreneurs to foster local de-velopment and economic upgrading. Drawing on power theory, migrant entrepre-neurs can balance insufficient power bases via their (1) knowledge, (2) language skills,and (3) affiliation with networks and institutions to meet other actors in the EE at eyelevel. To uncover whether theoretical considerations manifest in practice, case studiesof migrant entrepreneurs from a local EE were used. The results indicate that even ifmigrant entrepreneurs are well-embedded in local EEs, they nonetheless suffer fromdiscrimination or are structurally disadvantaged in establishing and conducting theirbusinesses. Much of this depends on their insufficient language skills, lack of experi-ence, and not belonging to established business or sectoral networks. Despite theseshortcomings, the results indicate that existing power disbalances in an EE are oftennot compensated by official authorities such as chambers of commerce but by mi-grant entrepreneurs themselves, who, despite the exclusive behaviour of the majority, display cooperative initiative and want to reach out to native stakeholders.

migrant entrepreneurship, local ecosystems, power relations, structural disadvantages