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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.

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PRAISE FOR STARTUP COMMUNITIES

"Innovation and entrepreneurship are at the heart of America's long-term economic growth story. As the nation's first Chief Technology Officer, I heard a great deal of interest in strategies to foster local startup communities beyond Silicon Valley. In this book, Brad Feld captures the essence of what drives the creation and development of startup communities and provides a clear road map for everyone interested in expanding the entrepreneurial ecosystem wherever they live."
—Aneesh Chopra, Senior Advisor, The Advisory Board Company, former U.S. CTO

"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.

"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; Senior Editor, The Atlantic

"Brad Feld's involvement in the Startup America Partnership since its inception has heavily influenced our thinking and approach to accelerating startup communities throughout the United States. We have shared many of the ideas in the book with community champions—successful serial entrepreneurs around the country—who are leveraging them to build vibrant growing startup economies."
—Scott Case, CEO, Startup America Partnership

"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, VP Innovation & Networks, Kauffman Foundation

"This book beautifully captures the essence of what drives a startup community. Brad Feld highlights the importance of having continual activities that engage the entire entrepreneurial stack in order to create a long-term sustainable startup community. At Startup Weekend, we are doing our small part to help as many people around the world experience entrepreneurship, and we are proud to count Brad Feld as a board member in our efforts."
—Marc Nager, CEO, Startup Weekend

"Clear, concise, and accessible, Feld offers informative and entertaining background on successful entrepreneurial communities, and more importantly, terrific tips, sometimes emphatic, on what it takes to develop an entrepreneurial ecosystem."
—Tom Swartwood, aka, Dr. Smartwood

Information Provided By: :

FOREWORD ix
 
PREFACE xi
 
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xvii
 
CHAPTER ONE Introduction 1
 
CHAPTER TWO The Boulder Startup Community 5
 
CHAPTER THREE Principles of a Vibrant Startup Community 21
 
CHAPTER FOUR Participants in a Startup Community 31
 
CHAPTER FIVE Attributes of Leadership in a Startup Community 47
 
CHAPTER SIX Classical Problems 59
 
CHAPTER SEVEN Activities and Events 73
 
CHAPTER EIGHT The Power of Accelerators 109
 
CHAPTER NINE University Involvement 121
 
CHAPTER TEN Contrasts between Entrepreneurs and Government 141
 
CHAPTER ELEVEN The Power of the Community 147
 
CHAPTER TWELVE Broadening a Successful Startup Community 157
 
CHAPTER THIRTEEN Myths about Startup Communities 169
 
CHAPTER FOURTEEN Getting Started 179
 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 189
 
INDEX 191
 
EXCERPT FROM STARTUP LIFE 199

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