Exploring the Influence of University Support on the Performance of Student-Led Social Enterprises: A Quantitative Study of Enactus Europe

Abstract

Student-led social enterprises (SSEs) are a relevant field for addressing social and environmental challenges while developing students’ entrepreneurial skills. Universities increasingly seek to develop such initiatives, and therefore, it becomes important to understand how institutional support shapes the success of these enterprises. This study examines the relationship between three key university support measures: financial support, entrepreneurial training and faculty involvement, and the performance of SSEs in Europe. The study builds on Social Entrepreneurship Theory and the Resource-Based View to conceptualise success in terms of both business performance and impact performance. A dataset of 167 projects from 68 Enactus teams’ annual reports between 2019 and 2024 was used to analyse how support measures influence SSE performance. The findings suggest that the success of SSEs may be more influenced by organisational capacity and contextual factors than by generalised university support. This study highlights the importance of tailored, integrated approaches to support student social entrepreneurship. It also offers a quantitative contribution to a predominantly qualitative research field.