What’s an Ecosystem? (Hint: Not What You Think)
Years ago, a colleague told me:
“Entrepreneurs are like cockroaches. Put out a pile of rich food, and they’ll come grab what they need.”
I repeated that line for years before realizing how wrong it was. Well, mostly wrong.
It works only if the entrepreneur already has time, money, education, literacy, and the right connections to sort through the pile. But for the overwhelming majority of potential entrepreneurs, that pile is overwhelming. Maybe they grab one thing, maybe they test it — but then what? How do they know what to grab next?
The Pile Problem
Most entrepreneurship “ecosystems” today — from startup districts to accelerators — aren’t ecosystems at all. They’re piles of stuff: classes, pitch nights, incubators, mentorship programs, all scattered and disconnected.
Instead of helping entrepreneurs navigate a path, we leave them floundering.
And since most people don’t have the luxury of time, networks, or resources to dig through the pile, they give up. At best, they settle for survival-mode businesses that never grow into the wealth- and job-creating engines promised to funders.
What Makes a Real Ecosystem
Nature is instructive here.
A real ecosystem isn’t just a pile of mushrooms, microbes, and trees tossed together. The magic lies in the interdependencies:
Mushrooms evolve to thrive in specific soil.
That soil is enriched by fallen trees.
Plants flourish because of the nutrients released when mushrooms break those trees down.
The system is what makes the ecosystem. Remove the system, and the pieces stop working.
Our entrepreneurship ecosystems fail because they’re not systems — they’re just piles. And only the most privileged entrepreneurs can scrape by in them.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Tomorrow, I’ll share signals that reveal whether your local entrepreneurship scene is truly an ecosystem — or just a pile. And next week, I’ll explore how reframing our approach could unlock real entrepreneurial growth.
In the meantime:
👉 Read more in my book Everybody Innovates Here.
👉 Subscribe to Future Here Now on Substack for fresh insights on entrepreneurship, innovation, and systems change.
👉 Reach out if your organization wants to explore speaking engagements or workshops — let’s build true ecosystems that work for everyone.
Because entrepreneurship shouldn’t be survival of the cockroaches.
#Innovation #Entrepreneurship #EcosystemBuilding #FutureOfWork #Leadership
