Field Building ESHIP Goals

Ecosystem builders have a unique opportunity to reverse the growing wealth gap in our country, and to cultivate and integrate approaches that more effectively remove barriers for significant portions of our population. As professional change agents, system thinkers, and resource providers, ecosystem builders are well positioned to see the hidden structural barriers that perpetuate disconnection, segregation, and isolation – and to remove them.

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However, we need diverse voices to lead us toward understanding and removing barriers for all entrepreneurs. Our leadership must include ecosystem builders from all walks of life, all parts of communities, and all kinds of regions, both nationally and globally. In order to empower and create equitable access for entrepreneurs who have been systemically excluded, ecosystem building must also include intentional efforts to level the playing field, to honor the need for belonging within entrepreneurial communities, and to have the (sometimes) hard conversations required for meaningful and lasting change.

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Only with a diverse group of leaders can we develop and distribute the insights and effective practices that are needed to support more entrepreneurs with a wide range of perspectives and to help more ecosystem builders lead inclusive change efforts in their own organizations and communities. With a truly open and inclusive ecosystem building field, we can model the change we want to see in the world, disrupt the status quo, and help build a resilient and cohesive economic system that allows us all to realize our full potential.

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Goal 1: Initiatives Prioritized by the community
The ESHIP community has identified some proposed initiatives that can help solve for the ESHIP Goals. These prioritized initiatives represent concrete steps we can work on together.
 

• 1.1 Diverse NRP Leadership – Support the network of ESHIP national resource providers (NRPs) in ensuring that their leadership and boards are intentionally diverse and inclusive.

• 1.2 Ecosystem Builders Speakers Bureau – Create a diverse and inclusive database of speakers from across the ecosystem building field.

• 1.3 Ecosystem Builder Fellowship – Develop a cohort fellowship program for ecosystem builders who come from groups that are often underrepresented in entrepreneurship.

As ecosystem builders, we know that innovation thrives in a culture built on trust, and People + Culture = Everything.

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Cultural divides, however, are already emerging within our field. These divides begin with concerns about resource scarcity and lead to skepticism and disconnection, preventing us from working together to advance stronger ecosystem building practices. We must see beyond our own ideas, organizations, sectors, and communities. And we need to reach out to support and partner with others who share our dedication to helping entrepreneurs.

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Together, we can expand the ecosystem building community, foster more trust, create open dialogue, and share resources. These efforts will establish a more collaborative culture throughout the field – they will help us all break down silos, achieve our shared goals, and remove more barriers facing entrepreneurs.

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Goal 2: Initiatives Prioritized by the community

2.1 Regional ESHIP Summits – Create a toolkit to support regional events that are similar to the ESHIP Summit and that bring ecosystem builders together to encourage regional collaboration. The toolkit may include best practices, templates, and funding models, among other tools.

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2.2 Field Ambassador Training Program – Start a program that identifies, trains, and enables individuals to link their communities to the global ecosystem building field.

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2.3 Training and Tools for Building Collaborative Culture – Develop training programs and toolkits for ecosystem builders to learn better ways to foster a collaborative culture in their work.

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