Do entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEs) facilitate entrepreneurial activity at every stage of the entrepreneurial lifecycle? Using generalized least squares estimation on data from 803 cities globally, we explore the impact of city-global connectedness (alpha, beta, gamma, and sufficiency cities) and EE quality on nascent, emergent, and extreme growth stages of entrepreneurial activity. Findings reveal that while all entrepreneurship stages benefit from higher EE quality, nascent and emergent stages thrive particularly in globally connected (alpha-type) cities. Different external forces and internal capabilities of entrepreneurs can result in synergetic effects of EE quality and city-global connectedness to support entrepreneurial activity at each stage.