Startup Communities, 2nd Edition

Startup Communities, 2nd Edition

by Brad Feld
Released July 2020
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9781119617655

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Book description

First published in 2012, Startup Communities became a blueprint for what it takes to build a supportive entrepreneurial community. Now regarded as a classic, the "Boulder Thesis" created and popularized by Feld within the book generated enormous media attention nearly a decade ago.

At that time, Boulder was an emerging startup laboratory—a hub of innovation building new tech businesses. It quickly accelerated into a world class ecosystem for entrepreneurs. Boulder's entrepreneurial density, combined with the geographic concentration of entrepreneurial activity around the Boulder downtown core, made it a hotbed of startup activity. Feld was and is still there, as a keen observer and one of its leaders. As he notes simply in the new edition, humans are wired to start things.

In a sense, that short Feld-ism accurately describes the startup revolution still taking hold throughout the world. Boulder is proof that innovation can happen anywhere, in any city. Thanks in part to the book, what happens in Boulder now leaves Boulder. Rapidly growing startup communities in Atlanta, Detroit, Denver, Kansas City, Nashville, and Indianapolis are just a few examples. Over the last decade, Feld has dispelled the myth that startups can only thrive in Silicon Valley.

Startup communities continue to pop up across the U.S. and around the world, prompting fresh new revelations and stories from Feld about what's happened over the last decade. Startup Communities 2e describes what makes a startup community ecosystem first click, then hum, and in time, excel. From Boulder to Beijing and beyond, entrepreneurial ecosystems are driving innovation. Startup Communities 2e discusses and the necessary dynamics and pre-conditions of building communities of entrepreneurs who can feed off each other's talent, creativity, and support.

In Startup Communities 2e, Feld will help you understand:

  • The core principles of a vibrant startup community, re-examining his Boulder Thesis and exploring other historical frameworks.
  • The attributes of leadership in a startup community that can help it thrive along with the classical problems any community will face during development.
  • The importance of a university in a startup community, and how large companies can engage effectively with entrepreneurs.
  • The importance of continuous improvement so growth does not stagnate.
  • The common myths about startup communities.
  • The opportunities to build startup communities in non-urban, or rural, places that are much less populated.

Table of contents

  1. COVER
  2. FOREWORD
  3. INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND EDITION
  4. PREFACE
    1. AUDIENCE
    2. OVERVIEW OF THE CONTENTS
  5. CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
    1. THE EXAMPLE OF BOULDER
    2. HOW THIS BOOK WORKS
  6. CHAPTER TWO: THE BOULDER STARTUP COMMUNITY
    1. BOULDER AS A LABORATORY
    2. BEFORE THE INTERNET (1970–1994)
    3. PRE‐INTERNET BUBBLE (1995–2000)
    4. THE COLLAPSE OF THE INTERNET BUBBLE (2001–2002)
    5. THE BEGINNING OF THE NEXT WAVE (2003–2011)
    6. AN OUTSIDER'S VIEW OF BOULDER IN 2012
    7. THE NEXT WAVE (2012–2020)
  7. CHAPTER THREE: PRINCIPLES OF A VIBRANT STARTUP COMMUNITY
    1. HISTORICAL FRAMEWORKS
    2. THE BOULDER THESIS
    3. LED BY ENTREPRENEURS
    4. LONG‐TERM COMMITMENT
    5. FOSTER A PHILOSOPHY OF INCLUSIVENESS
    6. ENGAGE THE ENTIRE ENTREPRENEURIAL STACK
  8. CHAPTER FOUR: PARTICIPANTS IN A STARTUP COMMUNITY
    1. ENTREPRENEURS
    2. GOVERNMENT
    3. UNIVERSITIES
    4. INVESTORS
    5. MENTORS
    6. SERVICE PROVIDERS
    7. LARGE COMPANIES
    8. THE IMPORTANCE OF LEADERS, FEEDERS, AND INSTIGATORS
  9. CHAPTER FIVE: ATTRIBUTES OF LEADERSHIP IN A STARTUP COMMUNITY
    1. BE INCLUSIVE
    2. PLAY A NON‐ZERO‐SUM OR POSITIVE‐SUM GAME
    3. BE MENTORSHIP DRIVEN
    4. HAVE POROUS BOUNDARIES
    5. GIVE PEOPLE ASSIGNMENTS
    6. EXPERIMENT AND FAIL FAST
  10. CHAPTER SIX: CLASSICAL PROBLEMS
    1. THE PATRIARCH PROBLEM
    2. COMPLAINING ABOUT CAPITAL
    3. BEING TOO RELIANT ON GOVERNMENT
    4. MAKING SHORT‐TERM COMMITMENTS
    5. HAVING A BIAS AGAINST NEWCOMERS
    6. ATTEMPT BY A FEEDER TO CONTROL THE COMMUNITY
    7. CREATING ARTIFICIAL GEOGRAPHIC BOUNDARIES
    8. PLAYING A ZERO‐SUM GAME
    9. HAVING A CULTURE OF RISK AVERSION
    10. AVOIDING PEOPLE BECAUSE OF PAST FAILURES
  11. CHAPTER SEVEN: ACTIVITIES AND EVENTS
    1. YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS ORGANIZATION
    2. OFFICE HOURS
    3. BOULDER DENVER NEW TECH MEETUP
    4. BOULDER OPEN COFFEE CLUB
    5. STARTUP WEEKEND
    6. IGNITE BOULDER
    7. BOULDER BETA
    8. BOULDER STARTUP DIGEST
    9. CU NEW VENTURE CHALLENGE
    10. ENTREPRENEURS FOUNDATION OF COLORADO
  12. CHAPTER EIGHT: THE POWER OF ACCELERATORS
    1. THE SPREAD OF TECHSTARS TO BOSTON AND SEATTLE
    2. TECHSTARS EXPANDS TO NEW YORK
    3. TECHSTARS TODAY
    4. ACCELERATORS ARE DIFFERENT THAN INCUBATORS
    5. UNIVERSITY ACCELERATORS
  13. CHAPTER NINE: UNIVERSITY INVOLVEMENT
    1. SILICON FLATIRONS' NETWORKED APPROACH
    2. ORGANIZING THE COMPONENTS OF UNIVERSITY ENTREPRENEURSHIP
    3. OTHER CAMPUS INITIATIVES THAT AFFECT STARTUP COMMUNITIES
    4. THE REAL VALUE—FRESH BLOOD INTO THE SYSTEM
    5. CHALLENGES AND RESPONSES FOR UNIVERSITY ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMS
    6. THE POWER OF ALUMNI
  14. CHAPTER TEN: CONTRASTS BETWEEN ENTREPRENEURS AND GOVERNMENT
    1. SELF‐AWARE VERSUS NOT SELF‐AWARE
    2. BOTTOM UP VERSUS TOP DOWN
    3. MICRO VERSUS MACRO
    4. ACTION VERSUS POLICY
    5. IMPACT VERSUS CONTROL
  15. CHAPTER ELEVEN: HOW LARGE CORPORATIONS CAN HELP
    1. START BY LINKING TO CORPORATE INNOVATION INITIATIVES
    2. SUPPORT, CONVENE, CONSUME, AND ENGAGE
    3. SELF‐INTEREST IS GOOD
    4. THINK ABOUT TALENT APPROPRIATELY
    5. REINVESTMENT IN YOUR COMMUNITY
  16. CHAPTER TWELVE: THE POWER OF THE COMMUNITY
    1. GIVE BEFORE YOU GET (#GIVEFIRST)
    2. EVERYONE IS A MENTOR
    3. EMBRACE WEIRDNESS
    4. BE OPEN TO ANY IDEA
    5. BE HONEST
    6. GO FOR A WALK
    7. THE VALUE AND COST OF AN AFTER‐PARTY
  17. CHAPTER THIRTEEN: BROADENING A SUCCESSFUL STARTUP COMMUNITY
    1. PARALLEL UNIVERSES
    2. INTEGRATION WITH THE REST OF COLORADO
    3. LACK OF DIVERSITY
    4. PHYSICAL SPACE
  18. CHAPTER FOURTEEN: RURAL STARTUP COMMUNITIES
    1. DEFINITION OF A RURAL STARTUP COMMUNITY
    2. A BROADER DEFINITION OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP
    3. ENTREPRENEURS BEFORE CAPITAL
    4. BEYOND TRADITIONAL CAPITAL MODELS
    5. RURAL + URBAN, NOT RURAL VERSUS URBAN
  19. CHAPTER FIFTEEN: MYTHS ABOUT STARTUP COMMUNITIES
    1. WE NEED TO BE LIKE SILICON VALLEY
    2. WE NEED MORE LOCAL VENTURE CAPITAL
    3. ANGEL INVESTORS MUST BE ORGANIZED
  20. CHAPTER SIXTEEN: GETTING STARTED
    1. GETTING STARTUP ICELAND STARTED
    2. BIG OMAHA
    3. STARTUP AMERICA PARTNERSHIP
    4. DO OR DO NOT, THERE IS NO TRY
  21. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  22. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  23. FOREWORD—FIRST EDITION (2012)
  24. INDEX
  25. END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT

Product information

  • Title: Startup Communities, 2nd Edition
  • Author(s): Brad Feld
  • Release date: July 2020
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9781119617655