Resumen

The objective of this research was to identify the main reasons why entrepreneurs in the Ibagué city, who structure business ideas and participate in contests, do not continue the entrepreneurial process until the creation of their companies. After applying the previously validated instrument to more than 100 students of the University of Ibagué, and expert advisors of the Tolima’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, composed of universities, entrepreneurs and public-private institutions, with interests in entrepreneurship, we can identify that one of the main causes by which entrepreneurs generate ideas and do not create companies is due to the cultural factor. This is based on the fact that Tolima has been an agricultural department for tradition and this situation has contributed in large part to the failure to develop an entrepreneurial spirit in people. Unlike cities such as Manizales and Medellin, Ibagué has not been able to consolidate an ecosystem of entrepreneurship due to the lack of articulation between the private sector, public and academic, which is why subsistence entrepreneurship predominates in our department. Within the research results we can detect that on average the people of Ibagué who have family support for the development of business initiatives amounts to only 33.7%. This factor is of paramount importance because family support is essential for the creation of a business. Among the recommendations proposed in the research is the construction of an entrepreneurial ecosystem because it will allow the participation of the Triple Helix providing opportunities to all entrepreneurs in the region and not only to who have the opportunity to access higher education.