He has spoken to more than 5,000 founders in 72 cities across 20 countries. He is an entrepreneur, investor, startup mentor and advisor, author and ecosystem builder. At EcoMap’s inaugural SuperConnect conference in Baltimore, he took the stage to share how we can build thriving entrepreneurial ecosystems more successfully. 

Chris Heivly is a seasoned practitioner and thought leader who has analyzed innovation ecosystems all around the world. And he writes extensively about how we can better support the dreamers, doers and visionaries in our communities by playing the Infinite Game of ecosystem building.

As we kick off this series “The Future of Ecosystem Building’, we reconnected with Chris to dive a little deeper into his experiences over the last decade, his take on current trends and where he sees us headed in the future.

Ecosystems of the past: Less than the sum of their parts

When Chris first arrived in the Raleigh Durham area in 2009, he did what he was good at: He met with entrepreneurs. 275 in the first five months to be precise. And we’re not talking about Zoom or other virtual meetings- this was the early 2000’s after all. They met in person in coffee shops around the city. What he found out early on was that the different assets in the area were siloed and not communicating with each other – much to the detriment of emerging innovators and entrepreneurs.

“Raleigh Durham had three major universities and a big research institution with a combined research spending of two to four billion dollars – depending on the year – and  a very high education attainment level per capita.

The area was still averaging 17 to 25 people a day moving into the area. Cities like Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill were and are fairly progressive. They even had a couple of venture funds. So we had all these pieces, but they just weren’t coming together in the way they should have. Somehow, the whole was less than the sum of the individual parts.”

Chris recognized silos within the community and a consistent pattern among leaders, particularly those from traditional sectors, who approached ecosystem building with a top-down, control-oriented mindset.

“In nascent ecosystems I often see ‘leaders’ trying to inspire others and do what they think is necessary to create an ecosystem: Too often, these are well intentioned, accomplished business men or government executives who bring the skills, networks and experiences they’ve honed throughout their careers. They tackle ecosystem building like they would plan a big volunteer project or stand up a performing arts center: They set a goal, assess what resources and assets are needed and reverse-engineer a plan to get it done. 

And unfortunately, while it’s the right motivation, it’s the wrong mindset.

Entrepreneurial ecosystems are complex, adaptive systems. They can’t be reverse-engineered. They can’t be controlled. They are not a problem to be solved.”

Once the relevant actors in an ecosystem understand that ecosystem building is a bottom-up approach driven by local culture and a mindset of generosity and genuine willingness to help, they are more likely to break down silos and start having the necessary conversations about what entrepreneurs need. Putting the needs of entrepreneurs front and center is the starting point for a successful, thriving ecosystem.

“By definition, an entrepreneurial ecosystem cannot be engineered; there’s no leader assigning tasks, there’s no masterplan to execute, and methods for measuring accountability and outcomes are not easily identified or agreed upon. For many […], this notion goes against every muscle [they’ve] built over [their] career.” Build the Fort, Chris Heivly, 2020, p. 37

The Essential Role of Culture

Having analyzed ecosystems in over 20 countries, Chris has honed his ability to recognize patterns that influence the speed and nature of any ecosystem effort. 

“Every place has its own personality and that personality sets the tone for the local culture. The foundation of a good ecosystem is a great culture that’s supportive of entrepreneurship and embraces a complexity mindset. 

In Boulder, Colorado, for example, people love nature and the outdoors. A hiking meetup is nothing unusual as an ecosystem event. But, in Norfolk, Virginia, the culture is defined by the military, a highly structured environment and deep hierarchies. Their meetups and norms will look a whole lot different from those in Boulder.

You can build and develop an ecosystem in both of these places, but the personality and culture will heavily influence what that process looks like.”

Chris argues that the heart of ecosystem building lies in people—connecting them, building supportive cultures, and fostering collaboration. With people at the heart of ecosystems, we talked about what role technology plays in ecosystem building.

Moving the start line for entrepreneurs

“The introduction of AI and other technologies can facilitate these connections, allowing entrepreneurs to begin their journeys further along than previously possible.” Chris says. 

“Let’s imagine you’re an entrepreneur and someone recommends Eric Ries’ The Lean Startup or Ash Maurya’s Running Lean. Now you still have to read these books and figure out how to interpret them to fill out your lean startup canvas. That’s assuming you have the resources and access to these books and can deduce how to apply them to your startup idea. Now layer on top of that living in a small town where you don’t know who to ask for help. It’s easy to see how and why entrepreneurial minds might quit before they even had a chance to give it a go. 

I believe that technology and AI give fledgling entrepreneurs a headstart by democratizing access to these types of resources. Whereas Techstars used to be accessible only to selected companies, they now have dozens of 6-minute videos explaining some of the basic concepts behind building a startup – and they’re freely accessible to anyone. There are now free workshops that teach founders to better understand fundraising, venture deals, what the terms are etc.” 

“Technology can’t be the primary or only tool, but it can certainly support community connectivity and provide faster, better and more equitable access to the resources that are readily available.” Chris argues. “In the last three months, I have come across at least three AI applications that will help you build your business model canvas in one minute. By the way, that doesn’t mean you don’t still have to do 50 customer interviews. But at least you know what questions to ask. As an entrepreneur, suddenly your starting line is 50 yards ahead of where it would have been before.”

Chris also stresses the critical need for understanding and mapping the social graph within ecosystems, emphasizing the importance of understanding who is connected to whom. We know that the density and quality of relationships within an ecosystem are key in building a thriving startup community. Technology that is able to track, map and interpret this connection data can reveal hidden networks and foster stronger, more supportive community connections. 

Empowering the Next Generation of Ecosystem Builders

After a decade of extensive global travel with Techstars and post-COVID, Chris decided to return his focus to local efforts once more. He asked himself what the ecosystem in the Raleigh/Durham area needed most. In 2021, Raleigh/Durham Startup Week was born. 

Chris consciously put in place co-led teams because he had learned a sobering lesson in the years prior: “As ecosystem builders, we often are our own problem. For the better part of ten years, everytime something needed to be stood up for the Raleigh/Durham ecosystem, I raised my hand and ran with it. While it feels great to roll up your sleeves and get things done, it severely limits the potential of the ecosystem. Because one person can only do so much, and inevitably, life gets in the way. By putting our heads down and getting to work in this way we do not create opportunities for other leaders to emerge. 

When we launched Raleigh/Durham Startup Week, I knew I wanted to do things differently. I started asking people whether they wanted to help and within three years we grew the team to 24 volunteers. We have a six-person marketing team, four people who run operations, other teams lead sponsorships, venues, workshop formats. No one person is expected to carry responsibility for any aspect of the event on their shoulders alone.”

Chris is dedicated to growing the next generation of leaders in the ecosystem and reminds us that passing the baton exemplifies the collaborative spirit needed to sustain a thriving ecosystem, “Your job is to figure out how to engage and empower ten other people on behalf of the ecosystem, not to do it all yourself.” 

The Future of Ecosystem Building 

Chris’s vision for Raleigh Durham’s startup ecosystem involves unlocking more disruptive, bold ideas, and better commercializing the extensive research conducted at local universities. He is working locally to help break down barriers within the higher education ecosystem “If researchers are truly inspired to bring their innovation to the marketplace, they need to get outside the university. I want to help create that connectivity and build bridges between universities and the ecosystem that can help them translate these inventions into scalable startups.”

His advice for ecosystem builders? “Focus on building relationships with founders, foster a peer network among ecosystem builders, and remain committed to serving the very people who drive the ecosystem—the entrepreneurs. If you’re not talking to entrepreneurs at least 30% of your time, you’re doing it wrong.”, Chris reminds us.

As we approach 2025, Chris urges ecosystem builders to embrace collaboration, leverage technology wisely, and remain focused on the core mission of supporting entrepreneurs. 

This journey is not a sprint but a marathon, demanding creativity, resilience, and a steadfast commitment to empowering the communities we serve.