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Attendees share overall learnings from the inaugural ESHIP Summit.
The Future of Entrepreneurship: An ESHIP Summit Recap
The Future of Entrepreneurship: An ESHIP Summit Recap

Knowledge, drive, and grit know no racial or socioeconomic boundaries. If ecosystem builders can intentionally extend entrepreneurship into “have-not” communities, we can positively impact our economy and, perhaps even more importantly, the people who deserve a chance to succeed.


9 Takeaways from Ecosystem Builders
9 Takeaways from Ecosystem Builders

SourceLink partnered and spent two days among the movers and shakers of entrepreneurship ecosystem building at the Kauffman Foundation’s #ESHIPSummit. And it was catalytic.

10 Ways to Break Down Barriers for Entrepreneurs
10 Ways to Break Down Barriers for Entrepreneurs

How do you build a thriving community of entrepreneurs? Ecosystem builders share their top tips for energizing entrepreneurship in their communities, no matter where in the world that is.


Cotton Candy Milk: Lessons Learned in Kansas City
Cotton Candy Milk: Lessons Learned in Kansas City

Innovator Ryan Lilly calls the ESHIP Summit “exactly what ecosystem builders needed.” Read more about his experience in Kansas City.


An Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Needs a Collaborative Culture
An Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Needs a Collaborative Culture

Kerry Anderson, author of Entrepreneurship: It’s Everybody’s Business, and more than 400 entrepreneurship advocates worldwide agree: Any community, no matter how big or small, has the capacity to develop an entrepreneur ecosystem.

The Impact of Ecosystem Builders

The impact created at the ESHIP Summit expands beyond the three-day conference in Kansas City.

A New Builder is Transforming the Entrepreneurship Landscape
A New Builder is Transforming the Entrepreneurship Landscape

Victor W. Hwang, vice president of entrepreneurship at the Kauffman Foundation, stresses the importance of a new economic model that infuses entrepreneurship into the American economy. It starts with ecosystem builders.


Ecosystem Builders Forge New Economic Model
Ecosystem Builders Forge New Economic Mode

Not only does diversity and inclusion pay dividends in the health and growth of the American economy, but it’s the right thing to do. Ecosystem builders need to be cognizant of who is—and isn’t—sitting at the table.


Nurturing the Entrepreneurs Our Inner Cities Need
Nurturing the Entrepreneurs Our Inner Cities Need

Job-creating innovation and inner cities can prosper together. It starts with talent and inclusive entrepreneurship, rather than a focus on the traditional geographic locations that have so dominated capital for business in the past.


Spurring Entrepreneurship Starts by Talking with Talent
Spurring Entrepreneurship Starts by Talking with Talent

Entrepreneurial ecosystems have enormous potential to unlock business and job growth, and the most important component to a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem are the entrepreneurs themselves.

The Job-Creating Infrastructure Every Community Needs
The Job-Creating Infrastructure Every Community Needs

It’s time to dispel the myth that most entrepreneurial growth is organic, growing spontaneously from random collisions between people with creative ideas. Communities that want to see accelerated entrepreneurial growth need an intentional strategy.


Why Entrepreneurs of Color Are Struggling
Why Entrepreneurs of Color Are Struggling

To build a healthy entrepreneurial ecosystem that supports aspiring entrepreneurs of all races and socio-economic backgrounds, community and business leaders across sectors must proactively and seamlessly connect business owners of color with experts, networks and resources.

Read about entrepreneurial ecosystems in specific communities across the United States.

Texas Goes to KC for the ESHIP Summit
Texas Goes to KC for the ESHIP Summit

Joshua Baer from Capital Factory learns how to further support entrepreneurial growth.


Bringing It Back Home to Tucson, Arizona
Bringing It Back Home to Tucson, Arizona

Brooke McDonald, CEO and co-founder of LeadLocal, identifies four pillars of effective ecosystem building.


How Ecosystem Mapping by Colleges Can Help Transform Struggling Communities
How Ecosystem Mapping by Colleges Can Help Transform Struggling Communities

Silicon Valley may be world-renowned for its entrepreneurship, but even California community colleges are looking to Appalachia for help with ecosystem mapping—a technique which helps folks identify the unique strengths and attributes of their local communities.

Supporting Startups in Montana's Wide Open Spaces
Supporting Startups in Montana’s Wide Open Spaces

Christina Henderson, executive director of the Montana High Tech Business Alliance, supports local tech entrepreneurs and tells the stories of their unlikely success in an unlikely place far from Silicon Valley.


When Entrepreneurship is the Only Option
When Entrepreneurship is the Only Option

Geraud Staton, founder of Helius Foundation, supports under-resourced entrepreneurs in Durham, Alabama, with free coaching and mentoring to help his community flourish again.


10 Black Innovators Making Waves in Kansas City
10 Black Innovators Making Waves in Kansas City

Felecia Hatcher, author, startup advisor and co-founder of Code Fever/Black Tech Week, highlights ten inspirational stories of black startup founders and entrepreneurs working toward a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem in KC.

There's Always Something to Do in Brownsville
There’s Always Something to Do in Brownsville

Eva Garcia, ecosystem builder and city planner, uses entrepreneurship and collaboration to capitalize on the potential of her Texas city.


The Hunt for an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
The Hunt for an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

Entrepreneur Vewiser Dixon has big plans for Kansas City’s jazz district, but economic development in his neighborhood has been a challenge.


Rural Communities' Untapped Potential for Growth
Rural Communities’ Untapped Potential for Growth

Rural communities have valuable assets that make them fertile ground for startups. To tap those assets, community members must focus on building entrepreneurial ecosystems.

Startup and small business advisor Anika Horn shares her experiences at the ESHIP Summit.

The Startup Ecosystems of the Future
The Startup Ecosystems of the Future

What is the future we want to live in, and how do we get there? Attendees explore these questions and more at this year’s ESHIP Summit.


So You Think You're an Ecosystem Builder...
So You Think You’re an Ecosystem Builder…

What’s an ecosystem builder? This description outlines skills and training for the ecosystem builders of the future.

Big-Picture Thinking and Self-Reflectedness
Big-Picture Thinking and Self-Reflectedness

To create ultimate impact, we must remember to get out of our comfort zones and stay hungry to always learn more.


How to Run a Great Show
How to Run a Great Show

Firestarters. Feathers. Yoga. Art. These things, along with frank conversations, make a conference uncommon.

Making and Breaking Startup Ecosystems
Making and Breaking Startup Ecosystems

What makes or breaks a productive startup ecosystem? Ecosystem builders from across the country work to build it, arts and crafts style.