A new tool for policymakers: Mapping cultural possibilities in an emerging AI entrepreneurial ecosystem

•We conceptualize emerging entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEEs) using both cultural and material approaches.•We develop a comparative typology of the cultural and material dimension of an EEE and apply it to an emerging regional ecosystem around artificial intelligence (AI).•We render cultural and material maps using topic modeling of Twitter feeds versus well-placed others.•We theorize discursive cultural strategies used by actors in the EEE and potential material effects of these strategies.•We present some adjustments to data collection and assessment that may be of use for policy analysts.•We discuss implications of the cultural approach and cultural mapping of EEEs for policy analytics and for EEE policy.