12 Common Challenges in Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Building
The Missions from the ESHIP Summit 2017
In June 2017, 450 entrepreneurial ecosystem builders gathered in Kansas City for the first ESHIP Summit, a three-day conference convened by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and 54 national partners.
The goal: Advance the work of community leaders who focus on a collaborative and systematic approach to fostering more entrepreneurial starts and success in their area (or industry).
On the last day of the Summit, the participants formed small groups around 12 challenge topics, which we called Missions. The topics are listed below, each linked to a ‘Mission Brief’ describing the challenge and potential solutions.
Share the Vision
- Set the Table: Why Ecosystem Building, and Why Now?
- Write the Vision: Defining the Ultimate End Goals of Ecosystem Building
Build the Community
- Create a Peer Network: Ecosystem Builders Connecting & Supporting Each Other Throughout the Year
- Connect the Resources: Establishing a National Network of Partners Supporting Ecosystem Builders
Go Pro
- What Do You Do? Drafting a Job Description & Training Syllabus for Ecosystem Builders
- Structure for Success: Designing Sustainable Ecosystem Building Initiatives
Engage Everyone
- Engage the Whole: Unlocking Talent by Connecting the Disconnected
- Bottom Up, Top Down, Outside In: Engaging Institutional Change-Makers to Achieve Scale
- Recruit the Policymakers: Enlisting Government Leaders to Champion Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
Design Your Ecosystem
- Connect the Capital: Matching Opportunities to the Right Resources
- Build Your Coalition: Fostering Collaboration Among Entrepreneur Support Organizations
- Track Your Progress: Developing a Research Agenda for Measuring Ecosystem Building
Based on the Mission Briefs linked above, small groups at the ESHIP Summit developed initial concepts for new tools, trainings, and shared understanding to help each other be more effective in their work.
In total, the groups dreamed up 38 solution concepts for more effective ecosystem building. Here is the full list of ideas.
