by Chris Heivly | Aug 13, 2026 | Community
A few years ago, I sat through my third “mentorship kickoff” in as many years, in three different cities that all swore this time that this vital programming would stick. Same energy in the room. Same nodding. Same six months later, when I’d ask...
by Chris Heivly | Aug 6, 2026 | Community
I recently listened to Simon Sinek talk about leadership, and one idea immediately connected with me. He argued that leaders have the courage to go first. They risk first. And perhaps most importantly, they trust first. This perfectly describes what effective...
by Chris Heivly | Jul 30, 2026 | Community
I recently returned from Istanbul, where I spent time with startup founders, investors, government leaders, and community builders discussing what it takes to accelerate a startup community. It was very clear to me that they are very passionate about driving Istanbul...
by Chris Heivly | Jul 23, 2026 | Community
Startup communities fail all the time. In fact, right now, I would guess that over half of the communities that have deployed serious dollars and effort are failing. Not in some dramatic, buildings-on-fire, investors-fleeing-town kind of way. Community failure is...
by Chris Heivly | Jul 16, 2026 | Founder Tips
Every founder has two faces. There is the public face—the one everyone sees. It is the face on stage, in the investor meeting, at the all-hands, on LinkedIn, in the podcast interview. It is confident, optimistic, and composed. It says, “We’re excited about where we’re...
by Chris Heivly | Jul 9, 2026 | Community
There is a weird little trap sitting right in the middle of startup community building. The people who most want to do the work often can’t afford to do it. The people who are paid to do the work often have a boss, a board, a funding requirement, a city council, a...
by Chris Heivly | Jun 25, 2026 | Community
If you lead a startup community or operate an ESO, you are going to run into three types of people. Understanding this dynamic is necessary for you to achieve your goals and generate community success. The first group is the easy group. I call these the willing. They...
