Welcome to the latest roundup of news from the entrepreneurial ecosystem building field.
NEWS FROM THE FIELD
Burning Out and Stepping Down
Ecosystem building is challenging on many levels. Ecosystem builders try to support entrepreneurs, grow a community, and change an entrenched system. It’s challenging work and if we’re not careful it can lead to burnout. I recently shared my reflections on burning out as I found the need to step down from my roles in ecosystem building.
Burn Both Ends: The Mental, Physical, and Emotional Toll of Ecosystem Building
Continuing the theme of ecosystem building and burnout, Anika Horn is releasing Season 3 of her Ecosystems for Change Podcast. In this season Anika chats with practitioners to help get a sense of how to build a solid foundation of physical, mental and emotional health so we can stay in this game of ecosystem building for a long time to come.
EBLP Field Assessment Survey
The Ecosystem Building Leadership Project (EBLP) is well underway. Part of the project included collecting input from ecosystem builders to assess the needs of the field. Data was gathered from 127 ecosystem builders and resource providers from March – June, 2022. The findings were recently released.
BLAST FROM THE PAST
As the field of entrepreneurial ecosystem building slowly grows and matures, it’s useful to highlight older articles and resources that may provide some context for where we are today.
Why Ecosystem-Building has Emerged as a New Approach to Economic Development
Why has entrepreneurial ecosystem building gained emerged as an economic development strategy in recent years? In 2018 I set out to explore that question in one of my first articles on ecosystem building.
A New Model for Entrepreneur-Led Economic Development
At the 2019 ESHIP Summit, Dell Gines, from the Kansas City Federal Reserve, shared a wealth of knowledge about how ecosystem building is the new economic development.
An ESHIP Summit Primer: Creating an Ecosystem Building Movement
For many, the Kauffman Foundation’s ESHIP Summits were their first experience connecting with other ecosystem builders and seeing the field of ecosystem building coalesce.