Reading list / link feast for 1st annual global summit of thought leaders on entrepreneurial ecosystems led by US Sourcelink (www.ussourcelink.com) and hosted at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation (www.kauffman.org)

1. Growing Great Entrepreneurial Ecosystems!
Selected links for understanding how you and your community can grow a world-
class entrepreneurial ecosystem. (I’m happy to add more links if you send them- We are
building a web portal for this via the Academy of Management’s Entrepreneurship
Division who wants to see this SourceLink initiative rock! We are also building a webinar
and MOOC as well as programs in Dubai, Hangzhou & more. What fun!!)
***First… read Brad Feld’s Startup Communities – it’s short and cheap! I’ll wait… ;)
Feld’s book is the “bible” for entrepreneurs and entrepreneur groups. They WILL
expect that you know it & it doesn’t hurt that I think he really nails it with his 4 key
markers. (This video shows how much I steal from him.) Don’t come to KC if you
haven’t read it. Seriously. You’ll also want to read (and enjoy)…
***Second… invest in Don Macke, et al’s Energizing Entrepreneurs, 2nd ed. Chock-a-
block with excellent battle-tested tools… Can’t say enough good things about this.
***Third…You read Kauffman’s latest (re metrics), yes? I hope metrics = a key focus!
***Fourth… THIS is how you understand the key leverage points of ecosystems. Karen
is the expert on this stuff. (No, it’s not easy or cheap but there are ways to get it done. ;)
***Fourth, the OECD brought together thought leaders and practitioners last
November. The first link connects you to all the OECD presentations.
http://www.oecd.org/cfe/leed/entrepreneurialecosystemsandgrowth-
orientedentrepreneurshipworkshop-netherlands.htm
example: My buddy Peter Vogel's OECD preso on ecosystems is pretty
awesome and was better than mine! [Peter is focused on using entrepreneurship to
address youth un/underemployment]:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7of6ihOVaOLQWdOUGlCVWpELWxHbnpLMjZBZGRYWDZSS
URJ/edit?usp=sharing and more recently… http://www.slideshare.net/pevogel/keynote-g20-yea-
summit-sydney-entrepreneurship-ecosystems
[At the OECD link you should also check out the OECD presentations by Erik
Stam* <metrics!> and by Colin Mason – first rate intel from different perspectives.]
*Erik’s latest is long, but worth it! http://www.slideshare.net/ErikStam1/healthy-
entrepreneurial-ecosystems (Anyway, the OECD links span the range of thinking…)
OECD asked me to focus on actionable tactics – you’ll like these!
OECD ecosystem tactics: http://goo.gl/WLQZrH
OECD also asked me to share the DEFRAG model here (the illustrations are from
Idaho but I think you can see how to apply it elsewhere pretty easily) I think I'm on to
good stuff if only because some local people are really pissed off about it, LOL…Again,
feedback from you experts is wanted! DEFRAG: http://goo.gl/6mmmy

2. METRICS
One thing that was visible from OECD (and elsewhere) is the need for good
metrics. Here are some Ecosystem process markers that will make a good
dashboard for your community – especially if you crowdsource the intel]:
http://bit.ly/EcoSys This list linked here was crowdsourced from three groups:
economic development types, academics and entrepreneurs – they converged rather
quickly on their lists which were remarkably overlapping. I would KILL to get your
feedback on this one as a couple of cities are already testing this in dashboard form.
PLUS! Again, see latest Kauffman white paper on metrics -> 4 useful high-level
markers for you to use based on Erkko/Zoltan’s ‘National Systems of Entrepreneurship’
article (which itself spun out of GEDI & GEM1).This is good stuff from scholars at the top
of their game. [Also check out Erik Stam’s work at the OECD site.]
MAPPING & VISIONING
And you need really, really good mapping...visioning too [see DEFRAG]
“Google Map” Meme: before you decide on the route, shouldn’t you know (a) where
you are and (b) where do the entrepreneurs want to go? ;) Few communities have a
good map of their local ecosystem – one that captures what is important: the
connections and dynamics a la Stephenson. (If the map is just lists of who seems to be
in the ecosystem… that ain’t a map, at least not a useful one.)
Fewer still have ANY idea what the entrepreneurs want… maybe they have the
vision of those who claim to speak for them but that’s not the entrepreneurs’ vision. If
you map brilliantly and listen, really listen to the entrepreneurs… figuring the roadmap
becomes easy. This NCRE report reflects ~150 listening sessions for rural
entrepreneurship. Fascinating… and powerful. Gary & Tim linked just below have some
great tools! But….. once you find the key leverage points then what?
NACCE slides (most recent workshop - focus on mapping)
http://www.slideshare.net/norriskrueger/nacce-2013-ecosystem-workshop
The work of Tim Putnam and Gary Muller is A+ along with the mapping tool from
Sheena Lindahl & Empact. (Next time, we need Tim & Gary and Sheena, if available.)
Identifying Stakeholder Value Props [for mapping] doc: http://goo.gl/wYHyjQ [a
handout for people at the NACCE workshop]
Hands-on Entrepreneur Workshops
This is from my big workshop on ecosystem-building for the WEF in Singapore.
This one was a blast! [pics here] Workshop format available here.
World Entrepreneurship Forum: Startup communities
http://www.slideshare.net/norriskrueger/world-entrepreneurship-forum-startup-
communities This workshop is alwaysa blast to do!
1 Global Entrepreneurship & Development Index; Global Entrepreneurship Monitor

3. Brad Feld’s WEF video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlFqc8gSm18
Also… the FIRE model redux (useful mnemonic or dorky acronym?) The first 2 (F-I)are
about entrepreneurial human capital, the last 2 (R-E) are about building entrepreneurial
social capital:
F: Foster the Expert Entrepreneurial Mindset broadly & deeply
I: Nurture the Next Generation of Ideas
R: Encourage an Entrepreneurial Renaissance in Communities (& Organizations)
E: Enhance the Entire Entrepreneurial Ecosystem – help the connectors
CASE STUDIES: beyond the New Zealand case mentioned, we have good cases
completed or in progress: Swedish Lapland (Spaceport Sweden!), Berlin, Dubai, Kerala,
Gothenburg, Iceland, even the US ;)
Most recent (2014-15) splashes...
***Academy of Management 2014 workshop ecosystem all-star team:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7of6ihOVaOLSmdMVnRFWjE2b1E/edit?usp=sharing
AoM 2015 ecosystem all-star team [with Maria!] – will become a
http://goo.gl/IMUx6K
***TEDxEntrepreneurship and possibly
***major workshops for Inc. and TiE!
Intl Council for Small Business all-star team #2:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7of6ihOVaOLX001X3owcjUyemRiNkFYdzJYcVBHZmtXUjQ0/edit?usp=sharing
***Ecosystem: educational video from Strascheg for EU, OECD:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1poz3eKdSbo
Accompanying slides: [the final video will splice slides and on-camera]
http://www.slideshare.net/norriskrueger/sec-video-slideshow-startup-communities
…and this document will be on Slideshare!
As always, please feelfree to contactme by
Email: Norris.krueger[at]gmail.com
Twitter: @entrep_thinking; Facebook; LinkedIn
Mobile: +1 208 440 3747