Our Most Hopeful Work

Ecosystem building is a powerful practice rooted in the belief that collaboration and shared ownership are the keys to unlocking collective progress. It's a discipline that blends strategy, storytelling, and systems thinking to support thriving communities and resilient economies. And it’s more critical than ever.

At its core, ecosystem building is about weaving networks of trust and shared purpose across diverse stakeholder groups: entrepreneurs, local government, funders, accelerators, investors, educators, and beyond. These groups don’t always speak the same language or operate at the same pace, but I have witnessed time and time again when someone steps in to help connect the dots—when a community weaver helps build the scaffolding for collaboration—remarkable things can happen.

Strong entrepreneurial ecosystems don’t emerge organically. They’re built—with intention, care, and a whole lot of behind-the-scenes coordination. The most effective ecosystems are multi-dimensional: they include spaces for experimentation, models for collaboration, accessible capital, thoughtful policy, and, most importantly, community. They are designed to not only support individual entrepreneurs but to elevate the collective potential of a region or sector. I have learned through the years that being a successful ecosystem builder means operating at the intersection of many domains—economic development, community engagement, social impact, and entrepreneurship—and moving fluidly between strategy and implementation. I have learned that success isn’t measured by how visible I am, but by how vibrant the community becomes around me.

In a time of polarization and disconnection, this kind of connective tissue is more important than ever. The work of ecosystem building is about restoring a sense of shared possibility. It’s about investing in relationships as infrastructure and recognizing that healthy communities—and economies—grow from the bottom up and the inside out. We need more people who are willing to do this work. More leaders who understand that economic development is most powerful when it’s community-led, relationship-driven, and equity-centered. More weavers, translators, connectors, and dot-joiners.

Ecosystem building might not always make headlines, but it builds futures. And in this moment, that may be our most urgent and hopeful work.