A special thank you to our outgoing ESHIP Alliance Leadership Council and Core Members and welcoming Jim Woodell as the newest member of the Core Team.

After unexpectedly losing a government-backed role, one ecosystem builder reflects on how the same instincts used to strengthen communities can also future-proof careers. Diversifying income through portfolio work, investing deeply in relationships, and staying curious through experimentation, including storytelling and AI, are emerging strategies for navigating an unstable job market. In a field still defining its value, intentionally designing for resilience may be essential for sustaining both impact and livelihood.

Most entrepreneurial ecosystems don’t fail from a lack of activity—they stall from a lack of coherence. In this new white paper on her ecosystem building model, Andrea Mazariegos explores ecosystem building as systems work: how to reduce friction, align incentives, and unlock collaboration in complex, real-world environments.

Beginning in 2018, I had the honor of serving as the architect of the ESHIP Communities initiative, which was created to codify and test promising ecosystem building methodologies in communities across the country. The effort was a part of the broader ESHIP initiative, funded and stewarded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which also included the popular ESHIP Summits, the ESHIP Goals development, and the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Building Playbook.

After 18 months of testing, learning by doing, and organizational build-out, the ESHIP Alliance has emerged as a field catalyst for entrepreneurial ecosystem building in the United States.

With our initial design and launch phase complete, we’re now raising a $500,000 capacity-building funding round to extend our organizational runway, build our capacity and staff, and support our transition to a more diversified, coalition-backed funding and revenue model.

Youth Entrepreneurship Day is not only a feel-good moment to celebrate, it’s an urgent call to action. As education systems evolve, job growth plateaus, and technology rapidly advances, the question becomes clear: How can young people from all walks of life be prepared for an uncertain future?

Mari Hicks found the secret to building thriving entrepreneurial ecosystems in a rural Spanish town in the heart of the Ribera del Duero region, where she attended the DEEP Ecosystems Conference focused on nature-based solutions for entrepreneurial ecosystem building. 

We’re excited to share the results of the 2025 Leadership Council election and introduce you to some folks stepping in (and out) of leadership roles across the Alliance.

In a rapidly evolving world of entrepreneurship, few voices ring as clearly or compassionately as Anika Horns’. A tireless advocate for the often unseen and essential work of local ecosystem builders, she blends lived experience, global insights, and a deep commitment to community-driven growth.

The ESHIP Alliance is electing new members to its Leadership Council—the network’s guiding body that helps set shared priorities, shape collective strategy, and develop field-wide standards. We’ve invited active participants from across the network to nominate themselves to serve. We’re thrilled to introduce the candidates vying for Council seats this year and to announce voting will be open between July 7th and July 22nd, 2025. All subscribers to the ESHIP Commons (as of July 5, 2025) are invited to vote.

From the beginning, the ESHIP Alliance has been shaped and strengthened by the collective leadership of literally thousands of people who have given their time, wisdom, and energy to advancing entrepreneurial ecosystem building in the United States.

Our belief in shared leadership isn’t just a guiding principle—it’s a practical strategy for driving long-term systems change, building trust, and centering the voices of those closest to the work.

Making entrepreneurship in America accessible to all—no matter who you are or where you’re from—has been at the heart of our collective work from the very beginning. Eight years later, that mission still drives us as we step into an exciting new chapter under a new name: The ESHIP Alliance.

The Global Entrepreneurship Congress returns to the U.S. for the first time since 2009, bringing the entrepreneurship world to Indiana on June 2-5, 2025.

As the 2025 conference season gets underway, here’s a guide to 20+ entrepreneurial ecosystem-oriented conferences—from a guy who has been to (most of) them.

A new digital community platform, an ecosystem building census, and more – four new collaborative projects launching this Spring

Launching our new blog with an update from EBLN's Executive Director on our collective efforts to advance the entrepreneurial ecosystem building field