The folks at the Kauffman foundation have put together a Sketchbook video of Brad Feld talking about the Boulder Thesis. We’re hosting a conversation with Brad Feld on October 30, 2012. We hope that you will join us. Tickets are $25 and include a copy of Brad’s book. My recommendation before attending is that everyone watch the sketchbook, it provides an effective overview of the book, and the basis to participate in the conversation.
I love this book. It captures many of my thoughts and philosophies, that I have not been able to articulate as succinctly or clearly as Brad. I have worked in high potential growth software since I joined Trilogy Software back in 1997. This was 15 years ago. I hope that I will still be working in high growth software in 15 years (that’s 2027 for those keeping track). I love the opportunities that I have had in Toronto. I am very happy to see new world-class startups that are scaling and growing in this city and across the country (go read my post on the Toronto Startup Ecosystem). I’m excited to see many entrepreneurs trying to build massive companies and stay in Canada.
We have both leaders and feeders participating in the conversation. We hope that you will join us to learn more about what Feld says sustainable entrepreneurial communities MUST HAVE:
- Two types of people: leaders (entrepreneurs) and feeders (people who support startups, such as government agencies, funders, service providers). While the “feeders” are the very fabric of the community, the entrepreneurs must be in the lead.
- A long-term view and commitment to building this community
- A philosophy of inclusiveness that welcomes everyone with an interest, not just entrepreneurs
- Substantive activities that engage the entire community to help startups move forward
Join us on October 30, 2012. I was speaking with Katherine Roos at Enterprise Toronto and we were talking about who should participate? Who do you think should attend?
I love that video. It’s a great teaser into the feeder and leader thesis (and it rhymes).
To answer your question, I hope we get to see a lot of the Feeders at that event, because some of them have to make sure they aren’t gatekeepers. And I hope to see folks from Waterloo because Toronto and Waterloo are part of the SAME ecosystem.
The video was a teaser
Either you’re a Leader
Or maybe you’re a Feeder
But don’t be a Gatekeeper
awesome video. I just got my copy yesterday (late delivery from amazon) and this video is a great teaser before I get into the book. The concept of hierarchy trying to run startups I think is pretty powerful and is probably the reason behind the failure observed in many regions (at least in my opinion). I am really looking forward to Brad Feld’s visit to Toronto!!