Speaker Series

April 24, 2025 | May 2, 2025 | June 19, 2025 | July 10, 2025

Join us for a monthly virtual speaker series where we dive into big questions and topics shaping the professional field of entrepreneurial ecosystem building. As an emerging practice, there’s no one-size-fits-all playbook, so we’ll do our learning by listening to peers, thought leaders, and on-the-ground practitioners from across the U.S. and beyond—representing communities big and small and supporting all types of entrepreneurs, from main street businesses to high-tech startups and social enterprises.

Each season, we'll explore a new theme, and each month, we’ll spotlight a new community, program, model, or approach that fits that theme and the story behind it—sharing candid lessons, creative approaches, and practical insights from those building more supportive environments for entrepreneurs—as a pathway to foster more resilient, equitable, and vibrant communities.

Season 1:

How Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Building Gets Funded

In Season 1, we’ll explore one of the most important—and least understood—aspects of entrepreneurial ecosystem building: how ecosystem builders sustainably fund their work.​​ Season 1, co-hosted by the Ecosystem Building Leadership Network (EBLN), the Entrepreneurship Funders Network (EFN), Make Startups, and the Startup Champions Network (SCN), will explore a range of real-world funding models—from government grants and philanthropic support to earned revenue strategies, workforce dollars, and donor-advised funds.​ This series is free and open to all—register below and join the conversation via Zoom.​

Do you have suggestions for future stories or funding models to feature? Or a theme for Season 2? Please share them with us at hello@ebln.us.

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[Rescheduled] A Blended Funding Model To Support Tech Startups in Tampa, Florida
Aug
14

[Rescheduled] A Blended Funding Model To Support Tech Startups in Tampa, Florida

Tampa Bay Wave is a nonprofit tech accelerator and ecosystem building organization that has supported over 600 startups, which have collectively raised more than $1.1 billion in capital.  Its funding model combines federal grants and local partnerships with public and private sector entities to support its programs.  

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