In order to boost social enterprise and to harness its potential, many countries are working at creating an enabling eco-system for social enterprises, that provides them with the power, means, opportunity and authority to fulfil their social and economic objectives. Also, Flanders and the Netherlands are discussing their social enterprise ecosystems. Both countries have no specific policy framework for social enterprise, but a Conservative/Corporatist welfare state with a long history of subsidiarity, i.e., the provision of welfare services through societal actors instead of government. They now have to learn how to adapt to the bottom-up emergence of social enterprises addressing new needs that so far are not adequately dealt with. In this paper, we sketch the outlines of a research project aimed at answering the question what the conditions and ingredients are for enabling ecosystems for social enterprise start-ups in Flanders and the Netherlands. We look forward to discussing these plans at the conference and grateful for tips and suggestions.