by Chris Heivly | Feb 10, 2021 | Community
There are short-term startup community goals and there are — and should be — long-term startup community goals and both of them require a resilient mindset. Many of us put our heads down under the “get stuff done now” mantra, and of course that has real value. But, as...
by Chris Heivly | Jan 25, 2021 | Community
Entrepreneurial ecosystems are made up of people, and the success of every entrepreneurial ecosystem depends on the level of people’s connectivity to each other. That is the fundamental principle at the core of our Ecosystem Development practice at Techstars. But why...
by Chris Heivly | Oct 17, 2019 | Community, INC
I was lucky enough to be asked to judge an annual pitch competition in Buffalo that an organization called 43North operate every year. The 43 North program is pretty simple; startups from around the world compete for the opportunity to win close to $5M divided into...
by Chris Heivly | Oct 15, 2019 | Community, INC
Like startup companies, startup ecosystems invariably get stuck. This can be frustrating to both the community leaders (those who are working tirelessly usually without pay to stand up those events) as well as the entrepreneurs who need access to resources to grow...
by Chris Heivly | Sep 24, 2019 | Community, INC
Startup community building is fraught with uncertainty – dont make it worse. For a brief shining moment, I was in the fire suppression business so I know a little about fire. Fire needs 3 elements; spark, material and oxygen. That is why you keep your door...
by Chris Heivly | Sep 17, 2019 | Community
I was lucky enough to be asked to judge the annual pitch competition in Buffalo that the crew at 43North run every year. This was the 5th installment and has been funded for another 3 years. I have to admit I sometimes wondered (from afar) what the impact that this...