The Missing Infrastructure of Entrepreneurship: A Policy Guide for Cities and States
Tuesday, 26 August 2025
Governments keep insisting they’re “supporting entrepreneurship,” yet the tools they fund are usually the bureaucratic equivalent of a pep rally: innovation hubs with free Wi-Fi, pitch competitions, and motivational speakers who read the same three startup books as everyone else. These things create the appearance of activity but deliver outcomes only for the handful of
- Published in Economic Development, Startups
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Innovation Isn’t Real Estate: Why Startup Hubs Waste Money
Thursday, 21 August 2025
The garage myth keeps fooling policymakers Innovation is not a real estate play, and your innovation district is likely disappointing entrepreneurs. Yet cities, universities, and corporations keep pouring millions into gleaming new “innovation spaces” and “hubs,” mistaking glass walls and free Wi-Fi for entrepreneurship. To some extent, understandably; startup folklore inspires us with stories of
- Published in Economic Development, Startup Ecosystems
Bogotá, Colombia; Latin America’s Next Startup Ascent
Friday, 15 August 2025
Colombia has always been a country in motion; politically, culturally, and economically. But motion isn’t the same as progress, and progress isn’t guaranteed. For generations, Colombians have adapted to change not because they wanted to, but because they had to. It’s in this crucible of necessity that the country’s entrepreneurial spirit was forged and potential
- Published in Regional Development, Startup Ecosystems
Because Entrepreneurs are the Greatest Catalyst for Societal Change
Wednesday, 13 August 2025
We’ve reached a tipping point. In a world awash in pitch decks, podcasted advice, and more bootstrapping encouragement than anyone asked for, the last thing we need is another startup program repeating what you can Google. If you read my work, you know that I have been pushing hard on challenges and gaps that still
- Published in Economic Development, Startups
Regional Collapse We Keep Pretending Isn’t Happening
Thursday, 07 August 2025
Something’s gone wrong in the way we structure governance; so wrong that it’s now normalized for elected leaders to turn to govern through coercion rather than consensus So wrong that the people who actually build and sustain the economy (workers, founders, educators, families) are often the last ones consulted about how that economy is governed.
- Published in Economic Development, Regional Development
Why Startups and Cities Fail Without a Clear Narrative: ACES for Ventures and Ecosystems
Wednesday, 06 August 2025
Most of you don’t fail because they lack a great product, brilliant founders, or access to capital. You fail because you haven’t worked out how to tell your story. You fail because your narrative doesn’t build trust, urgency, or credibility; three things that must happen before you ever get to the sale. This isn’t just
- Published in Startup Ecosystems, Startups
Stop Funding Accelerators. Invest in Venture Studios Instead.
Monday, 04 August 2025
The most underwhelming moment for an entrepreneur in a startup ecosystem is the ribbon-cutting on yet another accelerator. Confetti flies, politicians pose, local media snaps a shot of the logo on the wall, and everyone goes home to wonder why venture capital still doesn’t show up. If you’re not familiar with why your region isn’t
- Published in Economic Development