Mapping Entrepreneurial Inclusion Across US Neighborhoods: The Case of Low-Code E-commerce Entrepreneurship

Stroube, B and Dushnitsky, G (2025) Mapping Entrepreneurial Inclusion Across US Neighborhoods: The Case of Low-Code E-commerce Entrepreneurship. Strategic Management Journal. ISSN 0143-2095 (In Press)

Abstract

Entrepreneurship is presented as a path to prosper through commerce, yet there is evidence that certain communities are underrepresented in entrepreneurship. Technological developments such as low-code e-commerce tools have altered the barriers to launch commercial ventures. Do these tools alter entrepreneurial inclusion? We study an omnipresent low-code tool, Shopify, which has dramatically reduced the financial and technical barriers to e- commerce. We undertake an abductive analysis using unique data on the spatial distribution of Shopify-based activity for the entire US. We find evidence of entrepreneurial inclusion; neighborhoods with more Black residents, a group historically underrepresented in entrepreneurship, also have more low-code ventures. We interpret these results against traditional forms of startups: newly registered businesses and VC-backed e-commerce ventures. These benchmark analyses further support our findings.