Startup Communities Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City

PRAISE FOR STARTUP COMMUNITIES

SECOND EDITION

"Brad, a pioneer in encouraging the development of startup communities, seeded the momentum more than a decade ago that we're seeing now. . . . Because of this, Brad's thinking on the best practices for developing strong and sustainable startup communities is now more important than ever. This updated and expanded book, rich with case studies, will guide readers on what it takes to create a stronger entrepreneurial economy. It can help show us the way as we seek to build a startup economy that is more geographically diverse as well as more inclusive. Indeed, Startup Communities is a must-read for anybody who cares about the future of their community and their nation."
—From the Foreword by Steve Case, Chairman and CEO, Revolution; Co-founder, America Online

"Any city in the world can be the home of a vibrant startup community. Many of the principles in this book are similar to the ones we are applying at DowntownProject.com to help revitalize downtown Vegas and transform our city into one of the leading startup communities in the world. This book and its principles are applicable to any city that wants to reinvigorate itself through the power of entrepreneurship."
—Tony Hsieh, New York Times bestselling author of Delivering Happiness and CEO, Zappos.com, Inc.

"If you care about economic growth at any level this book will help you figure out how you can play a role in your own startup community. Brad Feld's book will become the Myth Buster of Startup Communities. Reality requires collaboration, inclusiveness, a network of leaders, and feeders operating without hierarchy. All hard work and a ton of fun."
—Lesa Mitchell, Managing Director, Techstars

"Entrepreneurship and innovation are the key drivers of the emerging creative economy. Startup Communities provides the playbook of how communities can harness the power of creative entrepreneurs that power long-run economic growth and development. Feld gives entrepreneurs and political and civic leaders a powerful framework filled with examples on how to build vibrant entrepreneurial communities."
—Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class; Professor, University of Toronto, NYU; co-founder, CityLab

First published in 2012, Startup Communities became a blueprint for what it takes to build a supportive entrepreneurial community. Now regarded as a classic, the "Boulder Thesis" created and popularized by Feld within the book generated enormous media attention nearly a decade ago.

At that time, Boulder was an emerging startup laboratory—a hub of innovation building new tech businesses. It quickly accelerated into a world class ecosystem for entrepreneurs. Boulder's entrepreneurial density, combined with the geographic concentration of entrepreneurial activity around the Boulder downtown core, made it a hotbed of startup activity. Feld was and is still there, as a keen observer and one of its leaders. As he notes simply in the new edition, humans are wired to start things.

In a sense, that short Feld-ism accurately describes the startup revolution still taking hold throughout the world. Boulder is proof that innovation can happen anywhere, in any city. Thanks in part to the book, what happens in Boulder now leaves Boulder. Rapidly growing startup communities in Atlanta, Detroit, Denver, Kansas City, Nashville, and Indianapolis are just a few examples. Over the last decade, Feld has dispelled the myth that startups can only thrive in Silicon Valley.

Startup communities continue to pop up across the U.S. and around the world, prompting fresh new revelations and stories from Feld about what's happened over the last decade. Startup Communities 2e describes what makes a startup community ecosystem first click, then hum, and in time, excel. From Boulder to Beijing and beyond, entrepreneurial ecosystems are driving innovation. Startup Communities 2e discusses and the necessary dynamics and pre-conditions of building communities of entrepreneurs who can feed off each other's talent, creativity, and support.

In Startup Communities 2e, Feld will help you understand:

• The core principles of a vibrant startup community, re-examining his Boulder Thesis and exploring other historical frameworks.
• The attributes of leadership in a startup community that can help it thrive along with the classical problems any community will face during development.
• The importance of a university in a startup community, and how large companies can engage effectively with entrepreneurs.
• The importance of continuous improvement so growth does not stagnate.
• The common myths about startup communities.
• The opportunities to build startup communities in non-urban, or rural, places that are much less populated.