In September 2018, I had the opportunity to interact with other startup ecosystem builders from dozens of cities across the US in two separate events; Startup Champions Network Summit at Denver Startup Week, and the Techstars Unsummit in Redding. While we often encourage entrepreneurs to network and interact with their peers to learn from each other, too often we don’t take our own advice, so these events were a great opportunity to “Eat Your Own Dog Food.”  In the same way that startup founders can gain great insights and support from their fellow founders, ecosystem builders can also greatly benefit from hanging out and interacting with our peers.

Through panel discussions, talks, and breakout sessions several consistent themes emerged that all cities trying to grow their startup ecosystems face, primarily:

  • Building a startup ecosystem is difficult and messy and there’s no playbook
  • Every community is different, but we all face similar challenges

So, learning that my peers in Baltimore, Ft. Worth, Omaha, Detroit, Washington D.C., New York, Madison, Redding, and many more all face similar challenges as we face here in Sacramento has a certain comfort factor and helps to provide motivation and energy to continue working to grow our startup ecosystem here.

 

The Most Valuable Thing

But the biggest takeaway from days of discussions was the validation of a core principle we have at StartupSac – the value of connections.

In a panel discussion with Paulo Gregory Harris, Marc Nager, and T. Scott Chase, Chase, the former CEO of the Startup America Partnership and founding CTO of Priceline.com, reiterated the power of connections:

“It’s about connective tissue. The most valuable thing you can do for any of the entrepreneurs you’re working with is connect them to other people. If you’re not building a relationship network in your community you won’t be able to sustain it.” ~ T. Scott Chase

Separately, at the Techstars Unsummit in Redding, organized by the folks at Startup Redding, we heard perspectives on the value of startup ecosystems from the founders of local Redding + San Francisco startup Limelight Health.

“When I think of ecosystems, I think of relationships.” ~ Jason Andrew, Limelight Health

None of this should be new to anyone who reads this blog regularly. Even our own startup founders right here in Sacramento have championed the value of connections. Skyslope co-founder D.J. Stefan rallied the community behind it in a challenge to the community:

“We gotta connect the fabric of our community.”

So, the most valuable thing you can do for our Sacramento entrepreneurs and startup founders (as well as ecosystem builders)? Connect them to other people and help them build their network. How? Connect with startup founders, especially in-person and introduce them to your network. Go to one of the local startup events (1 Million Cups, StartupSac Happy Hour, Startup Grind, or others), meet entrepreneurs, and connect them with your business network.