Startup Communities: Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City

"First published in 2012, Startup Communities has become the essential roadmap to building supportive entrepreneurial communities, based on Brad Feld's original "Boulder Thesis. Startup communities continue to pop up around the world, prompting a fresh new edition, fully revised, on what makes a startup community ecosystem first click, then hum, and in time, excel. From Boulder to Beijing, entrepreneurial ecosystems are driving innovation and small business energy. Startup Communities documents the global and local buzz, strategy, long-term perspective, and dynamics of building communities of entrepreneurs who can feed off one another's talent, creativity, and support. Based on more than thirty years with Boulder as the "case example", entrepreneur turned-venture capitalist Brad Feld has learned by doing, sharing his own thoughts as well as contributions and insights from other innovative startup communities around the world. This new fully updated edition explores what it takes to create an entrepreneurial community in any city, at any time. Along the way, it offers valuable insights into increasing the breadth and depth of the entrepreneurial ecosystem by multiplying connections among entrepreneurs and mentors, improving access to entrepreneurial education, and much more. Details the four critical principles needed to form a sustainable startup community Perfect for entrepreneurs and venture capitalists seeking fresh ideas and new opportunities Written by Brad Feld, a thought-leader in this field who has been an early-stage investor and successful entrepreneur for more than thirty years Engaging and informative, this practical guide not only shows you how startup communities work, but it also shows you how to make them work anywhere in the world"--