Why Our “Innovation Ecosystems” Are Failing—and What We Must Build Instead
We talk endlessly about innovation.
Startup ecosystems. Entrepreneurial pipelines. Accelerators, incubators, pitch nights, districts, hubs.
And yet—very little actually changes.
Communities remain stuck.
Small businesses struggle to sustain, let alone grow.
The same voices get funded.
The same ideas get amplified.
The same people are told, quietly or loudly, this isn’t really for you.
Future Here Now exists to say what too many people won’t:
Most of our so-called innovation ecosystems aren’t ecosystems at all.
They’re piles of stuff.
Programs stacked on programs.
Events without outcomes.
Resources designed for people who already have resources.
And if you’re not already highly privileged? You’re expected to swim without ever being taught how the water works.
This Newsletter Is About Building What Actually Works
Each month, Future Here Now takes on one urgent question facing our economies, our communities, and our institutions:
👉 Where does meaningful innovation really come from?
👉 Why do necessity-based entrepreneurs get ignored—or filtered out entirely?
👉 How do privilege, networks, and access quietly shape who succeeds?
👉 What can we learn from natural ecosystems about fixing broken systems?
This isn’t about shiny tech or hype cycles.
It’s about people, systems, and outcomes.
We explore ideas through:
Research translated into plain language (no academic gatekeeping)
Real-world signals from entrepreneurship, economics, and ecology
Hard truths about what we keep getting wrong
Practical insights for leaders, builders, policymakers, and change-makers
If you’ve ever felt like the rules were written for someone else—this newsletter is for you.
Everybody Innovates Here — Relaunched, Reclaimed, and More Relevant Than Ever
This month also marks the re-launch of Everybody Innovates Here, a book that asks an uncomfortable question:
If innovation is everywhere, why do our systems only work for a few?
The book explains why so many innovation and entrepreneurship efforts fail to move the needle for communities—and what it actually takes to make them work the way they should.
The truth?
This book never got the daylight it deserved thanks to COVID.
Now it’s back—because the ideas inside are not just timely, they’re overdue.
Throughout the month, you’ll see essays, videos, and conversations expanding on the book’s core themes across social channels and inside Future Here Now.
Special Access for Change Makers
Subscribers at the Change Maker (paid) level receive:
A significant discount on Everybody Innovates Here
Discounts on workshops and learning experiences
Deeper dives into ecosystem design, entrepreneurship, and systems change
Early access to ideas before they hit the mainstream
Not a subscriber yet?
Sign up before next Friday and you’ll still receive the discount—plus 25% off the subscription.
No waiting. No hoops. Just show up.
This Work Doesn’t End With Reading
Ideas are only useful if they travel.
If your organization, city, university, foundation, or team is serious about:
Supporting entrepreneurs who don’t fit the usual mold
Designing ecosystems that actually function
Rethinking economic development from the ground up
Turning inclusion into outcomes—not optics
Then this work belongs in the room with you.
🎤 Speaking, workshops, and advisory work:
👉 http://wiseeconomy.com/
📬 Subscribe to the Future Here Now newsletter:
👉 https://www.substack.com/
The Future Is Already Here
We just keep building the wrong systems for it.
Future Here Now is an invitation—to stop pretending, start redesigning, and build economies that work for more than a lucky few.
If you’re ready to question assumptions, challenge defaults, and do the real work?
Welcome.
