Unsung Hero Spotlight: Clark Rinehart, Raleigh, NC

To you, what is an Ecosystem Builder? I think it’s someone who actively mines for the best in those around them and strategically knits together varying resources in their community. What motivates you as an ecosystem builder? People. Seeing people grow and thrive, personally and professionally, is my passion. Every person has a unique skill …

The Unsung Heroes of Ecosystem Building

Building a movement If you work in the field of ecosystem building in the United States, chances are you have heard of the ESHIP Summit, hosted annually by the Kauffman Foundation since 2017. It is a three-day conference during which we Explored the biggest challenges ecosystem builders face in their work (2017) Defined and grouped …

Jump Starting Economic Dynamism with Ecosystem Building

Article originally published on Medium. Published here with permission - from myself 😉 Economic Dynamism — if you’re not an economist it’s a term that you probably haven’t heard often, if ever. It’s an esoteric term that might trigger warning bells of boredom in the brains of any non-economist. Warning! Boring economics stuff alert! But …

Broadband, Blues, and Beer – Growing the Digital Economy in Rural America

The Great Recession in the 2000s took a heavy toll on the United States economy. While many cities have managed to recover, other communities, especially rural communities, continue to struggle. In rural communities across America, populations, employment, and entrepreneurship are declining, wages are stagnant, and increasing workforce automation is putting jobs at risk, resulting in …

Reflections on ESHIP Summit 2019

Like hundreds of other ecosystem builders returning home from the third annual Kauffman Foundation ESHIP Summit, I’m still processing the experience of the past 3 days. This was my second summit and like the first, I’m coming away from the experience with a mix of exhaustion and renewed dedication to continue the work of ecosystem …

5 Coping Techniques for Introverted Ecosystem Builders

Effective and impactful ecosystem building requires making a lot of connections in order to connect the founders, entrepreneurs, and innovators to the resources they need. It’s a valuable and essential element of successful ecosystems. But, for many among us, those of us who are introverts, the effort that it takes to connect, socialize, go to …

Ecosystem Building and Ecosystem Builders: What is it? Who are they?

“Each person here change LinkedIn job title to entrepreneurial ecosystem builder,” the card on the wall said. This was one of hundreds of cards with ideas to advance the field of ecosystem building that were posted at the 2018 ESHIP Summit. Thinking that was a good, simple way to help grow awareness for this field …

The Benefits of Mapping Your Startup & Innovation Ecosystem

“Entrepreneurial ecosystems thrive when people and resources are connected and working together to develop new approaches and solutions for serving entrepreneurs.” That quote, from the Kauffman Foundation’s eShip Summit website, represents one of many core elements needed for startup ecosystems to thrive. But what is also important is that the players in an entrepreneurial ecosystem, whether …

Why Ecosystem-Building has Emerged as a New Approach to Economic Development

Ecosystem-building Needed to Prevent Economic Stagnation & Mitigate Economic Inequality In a recent EShip Summit newsletter, Andy Stoll, from the Kauffman Foundation asked; “Why Ecosystem Building, and Why Now?” and followed up with an invitation to ecosystem builders to discuss the issue: “Explain why ecosystem building has emerged as a new approach to economic development.” I’m fairly new to ecosystem …

Building an Ecosystem of Ecosystem Builders

After attending the second annual Eship Summit organized by The Kauffman Foundation I was inspired to step up and begin to organizing and sharing the stories, best practices, tips and lessons-learned around startup ecosystem building. Further motivation was provided by working with other ecosystem builders to come together and build an online clearinghouse/hub of ecosystem building …