Multi-faceted approaches are mandatory to advance entrepreneurship research. This is especially true when scholars investigate the effect of entrepreneurship on local development. In this case, scholars usually rely on the nexus ‘entrepreneurial profile/context’. In line with the above and the principles of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), a European policy aiming to support the development of rural areas, this paper investigates whether, and to what extent, innovative start-ups launched by young vs. older entrepreneurs (specific profiles) contribute to local development of rural areas (a specific context) in Italy. Stochastic frontier analyses, based on 13,385 observations retrieved from the website of the Italian Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy – IMEMI, reveal that local development generated by the Italian start-ups varies according to the entrepreneurial profile and context. Specifically, statistical results show that the entrepreneurial profile is more relevant than the context. The nexus ‘entrepreneurial profile/context’ is pivotal for defining new tools and policies able to support local development and, undoubtedly, it requires even more research.

Full texte available on Taylor & Francis website: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08985626.2025.2532608