Startup Communities : Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City

Brad Feld has been an early-stage investor and entrepreneur for over twenty years. Prior to cofounding Foundry Group—a Boulder, Colorado–based early-stage venture capital fund that invests in information technology companies all over the United States—he cofounded Mobius Venture Capital and, prior to that, founded Intensity Ventures, a company that helped launch and operate software companies. Feld is also a cofounder of TechStars and has been active with several nonprofit organizations. He is a nationally recognized speaker on the topics of venture capital investing and entrepreneurship.

FOREWORD ix

PREFACE xi

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xvii

CHAPTER ONE Introduction 1

CHAPTER TWO The Boulder Startup Community 5

CHAPTER THREE Principles of a Vibrant Startup Community 21

CHAPTER FOUR Participants in a Startup Community 31

CHAPTER FIVE Attributes of Leadership in a Startup Community 47

CHAPTER SIX Classical Problems 59

CHAPTER SEVEN Activities and Events 73

CHAPTER EIGHT The Power of Accelerators 109

CHAPTER NINE University Involvement 121

CHAPTER TEN Contrasts between Entrepreneurs and Government 141

CHAPTER ELEVEN The Power of the Community 147

CHAPTER TWELVE Broadening a Successful Startup Community 157

CHAPTER THIRTEEN Myths about Startup Communities 169

CHAPTER FOURTEEN Getting Started 179

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 189

INDEX 191

EXCERPT FROM STARTUP LIFE 199

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