To Get More Entrepreneurs, We Must Create Better Ecosystems

Our 20th century investment and economic development models were setup to serve existing businesses in traditional industries. With a few notable exceptions, these old models have proven largely ineffective at developing the kinds of strong entrepreneurial ecosystems that new ventures need to thrive.

Entrepreneurs and the startup ventures they create do not exist in a vacuum. They are part of a complex community-based network, or ecosystem, and they will not thrive unless those ecosystems are strong.

Entrepreneurs who create great new firms, the experts and investors that support them, the talented people who come to work for startups and the educational institutions that inject new talent and ideas; all of these actors are interconnected. In every neighborhood, city or state, they rely on each other in order to advance the success of the collective group.

In struggling regions, many of these actors have not adapted to the changing world. As a result, their ecosystems are failing to thrive.

Ray Leach

CEO, JumpStart Inc.

Full Story: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ray-leach/to-get-more-entrepreneurs_b_5708839.html