This study explores how sustainable entrepreneurs construct innovation ecosystems to advance their projects, addressing a significant gap in understanding the strategies and interactions within these ecosystems. Sustainable entrepreneurship, aiming for economic, social, and environmental goals, presents unique challenges, particularly in mobilizing diverse stakeholders. The research focuses on Chocoffré, an entrepreneurial project transforming coffee by-products into eco-materials for packaging. Using an exploratory single case study (December 2022–July 2024), this research examines the interplay of local ecosystem actors, including business support, industrials, and actors involved in the project. The findings reveal the crucial role of entrepreneurial leadership in fostering collaboration and creating a shared vision among diverse actors. Key insights include how the entrepreneur navigates the ecosystem to secure resources, mitigate challenges, and integrate contributions from actors such as suppliers, designers, and local policymakers. The study underscores the importance of open innovation processes, highlighting how these interactions enhance the project's triple-bottom-line impact: profitability, environmental sustainability, and social value creation. The research contributes to the literature on sustainable entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystems by offering empirical evidence of ecosystem dynamics. It also provides actionable recommendations for policymakers and practitioners, emphasizing the need for robust, supportive networks to facilitate sustainable innovations. These findings extend the theoretical understanding of ecosystem co-creation and underscore the transformative potential of sustainable entrepreneurship in addressing societal and environmental challenges.
