Startup Communities: Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City [Hardcover]

Brad Feld (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 9, 2012

An essential guide to building supportive entrepreneurial communities"Startup communities" are popping up everywhere, from cities like Boulder to Boston and even in countries such as Iceland. These types of entrepreneurial ecosystems are driving innovation and small business energy. Startup Communities documents the buzz, strategy, long-term perspective, and dynamics of building communities of entrepreneurs who can feed off of each other's talent, creativity, and support.
Based on more than twenty years of Boulder-based entrepreneur turned-venture capitalist Brad Feld's experience in the field?as well as contributions from other innovative startup communities?this reliable resource skillfully 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 twenty 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.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Q & A with Author Brad Feld

1. What is the "Startup Revolution"?

The vast majority of net new job creation in the last 30 years has come from new startups--specifically companies created during this time frame. As the global economy continues to struggle, entrepreneurs, through new startup companies, are leading the way in creating new innovations, new products and services, and new jobs. At the same time, they are rejuvenating the economies of many cities around the world as they create the basis for the next wave of economic growth. There is a startup revolution happening throughout the world--join in!

2. Where are some of the hot startup communities building today?

As the small town of Boulder, Colorado has gained international prominence as a hotbed of startup activity, many other cities throughout the world are seeing great growth through the creation and development of new startups. Cities big and small, like New York, Boston, Chicago, Portland and Austin, as well as countries like Iceland are seeing their startup communities revitalize and re-energize their city.

3. Is this book a blueprint for building startup communities?

The book defines the Boulder Thesis, drawn from my 17 years of being an entrepreneur and investor in the Boulder startup community, to create a framework for creating a vibrant, long-term startup community. We explore the Boulder Thesis in depth and give lots of examples of implementation, but overall recognize that one of the powerful things about every city in the world is that they have unique characteristics. The Boulder Thesis is a blueprint, but not a prescription, and is easily adopted to any city.

4. What inspired you to create the "Startup Revolution" series?

I believe startups are transforming our society. Over the past 100 years, we've gone from an industrial era, where a hierarchical structure dominated business and society, to a post information era where the network is rapidly disrupting the hierarchy and transforming the way we work and live. The "Startup Revolution" series covers each aspect of the dynamics of this change, from Startup Communities, to Startup Life, to specific aspects of business with Startup Boards and Startup Metrics.

5. Who should read this book?

Anyone interested in entrepreneurship, startups, economic growth, and innovation.

Review

"Mr. Feld wants to make it clear that all sorts of cities across the world can become home to job-creating new businesses if only they foster the necessary culture. He sets out a framework for a successful start-up community... if more people contributed to the places in which they live, as Mr. Feld and others have evidently done in Boulder, we probably would have more start-up communities around the world for him to visit."-- Jonathan Moules, Financial Times book review, November 15, 2012 'StartUp Communities was designed to engage and inspire entrepreneurs everywhere...definitely worth a look if you're felling fired up about looking beyond the 'Silicon Roundabout' to create real hotbeds of entrepreneurial activity in the UK' (Talk Business, January 2013)

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 202 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (October 9, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1118441540
• ISBN-13: 978-1118441541
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (95 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #38,442 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #58 in Books > Business & Investing > Industries & Professions > Information Management
  • #67 in Books > Business & Investing > Economics > Environmental Economics

More About the Author

Brad has been an early stage investor and entrepreneur since 1987. Prior to co-founding Foundry Group, he co-founded Mobius Venture Capital and, prior to that, founded Intensity Ventures, a company that helped launch and operate software companies. Brad is also a co-founder of TechStars.

Brad currently serves on the board of directors of BigDoor, Cheezburger, Fitbit, FullContact, Gnip, MakerBot, MobileDay, Modular Robotics, Oblong, Orbotix, SEOMoz, Standing Cloud, and Yesware for Foundry Group. Previously, Brad was an executive at AmeriData Technologies after it acquired Feld Technologies, a firm he founded in 1987 that specialized in custom software applications.

In addition to his investing efforts, Brad has been active with several non-profit organizations and currently is chair of the National Center for Women & Information Technology, co-chair of Startup Colorado, and on the boards of Startup Weekend and the Application Developers Alliance. Brad is a nationally recognized speaker on the topics of venture capital investing and entrepreneurship and writes the widely read blogs Feld Thoughts and Ask the VC.

Notable companies that Brad has invested in and/or sat on the boards of include Abuzz (acq. NYT), Anyday.com (acq. PALM), Critical Path (CPTH), Cyanea (acq. IBM), Dante Group (acq. WEBM), DataPower (acq. IBM), FeedBurner (acq. by GOOG), Feld Group (acq. by EDS), Gist (acq. RIM), Harmonix (acq. VIA), NetGenesis (IPO), ServiceMagic (acq. IACI), ServiceMetrics (acq. EXDS), and Zynga (ZNGA).

Brad holds Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Management Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Brad is also an avid art collector and long-distance runner. He has completed 22 marathons as part of his mission to run a marathon in each of the 50 states.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A book to fuel a startup revolution by a true expert September 20, 2012

By Kevin Friedman

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

It's hard to imagine an expert more qualified that Brad Feld to write a book on this topic. Not only is he an extremely accomplished entrepreneur and venture capitalist but he has also spent years supporting and building startup communities around the world.

With the increasing popularity of entrepreneurship, Brad's book provides a critical framework to build a thriving and healthy entrepreneurial ecosystem in any city in the world. At the center of this book is his "Boulder Thesis" which lays out the four key components of a framework for this ecosystem:

1. Entrepreneurs must lead the startup community.
2. The leaders must have a long-term commitment.
3. The startup community must be inclusive of anyone who wants to participate in it.
4. The startup community must have continual activities that engage the entire entrepreneurial stack

Each of these components is explained clearly with helpful examples. Personally, some of the highlights of the book was his section on "Mentors" which explains the key behaviors of a mentor, the "Attributes of Leadership in a Startup Community", and the chapter on "The Power of the Community" where Brad reminds us to "Give Before You Get" (awesome!) and to "Embrace Weirdness" --- any author that reminds us to "embrace weirdness" is okay in my book!

In short, I think this is very helpful and practical book for entrepreneurs, government officials, university leaders, and other entrepreneurial-related fields. As a founder of a startup, I highly recommend it and believe this book can provide fuel for a startup revolution... especially when explored in community.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome blueprint for improving your startup community September 20, 2012

By David Cohen

Format:Kindle Edition

Having personally witnessed much of the growth of the Boulder startup community, I think Brad has done a wonderful job of capturing the essence of what makes it tick. But Brad has also done the hard work of getting out into the world and studying so many communities. He synthesizes this into what is effectively a blueprint for creating more interesting startups, attracting more capital, and ultimately having more meaningful companies in your city.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars A good book, written from the investor point of view November 9, 2012

By J. Milanette

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

It's a good book, but Mr. Feld exhibits the same confusion many other venture investors have concerning incubators and accelerators. There are two things that I find especially troubling:

1. Incubators and accelerators are not the same thing. Incubators often work with companies for years, not weeks like the modern day version of accelerators, and their clients have survival rates that far exceed the norm (on average surviving 85% of the time). Incubators often have acceleration programs, but they're for companies that have revenues, that have a management team, and that would like to jump (i.e., "accelerate") to the next level with the help of the competent and experienced advisers who work in incubator management teams. The current use of the term "accelerator" has been appropriated by people who needed a convenient term for their venture investment selection process. For a few thousands of dollars and 90-120 days of mentoring, venture investors see if a business idea (almost always in the software/mobile app/game domains) has the ability to scale. It's not about entrepreneurship, it's not about employment creation, it's not about any of the things incubators do to help their community grow. It's about having a very efficient way to grow a portfolio at the least cost. As an investment strategy, it's brilliant. Is it incubation? I don't think so.

2. Regional clusters are important, as Mr. Feld opines. But the conclusion that they can only be led by local entrepreneurs is, to say the least, a bit over the top. By its nature, the ecosystem has to be inclusive, and the leadership shared. Successful ecosystems - clusters - can be led by anyone who has a vision and ability to articulate what could be accomplished for the region, what it should look like, and how to get there. Many of the service providers, community leaders, and other supporters of cluster development will be there long after the entrepreneurs' companies have been acquired and they've moved on. It's unfair to assume the ecosystem can only be led by the entrepreneurs. That type of clustering requires a lot of participants, from a lot disciplines, and takes time to show results. Many entrepreneurs, driven by a need to create something innovative, have neither the patience nor the time to devote to that kind of development.

Overall it's a good effort. I enjoyed reading about his personal journey, and think there are lots of good insights for both investors and entrepreneurs therein.