Welcome Startup Utah! Donna Harris @ dharrisindc # startupamerica

1. Welcome Startup Utah! Donna Harris @dharrisindc #startupamerica

2. Startups are the cutting edge of the American economy, providing nearly all the net new jobs over the last thirty years. Their success is linked directly to access to vibrant startup communities that quickly provide connections to customers, talent and capital. Startup America is a national network of vibrant startup communities across the US, focused on connecting startups with the relationships, knowledge and opportunities needed to succeed. Startup America 2.0

3. Startups are the engine of our economy • It’s technically possible to start and grow a company anywhere • There are high growth startups springing up all over the country • Unfortunately, without the support of a strong startup community, many startups won’t realize their full potential Our national startup economy depends on the strength of our country’s root system, not just individual startups National Startup Ecosystem

4. 30 Regions as of Today!

5. Entrepreneur-led (not supporter-led) Community-wide Open to all, no gatekeepers Everyone knows & helps each other Giveand Get Confront culture, silos, sacred cows Solve problems Long-term view Short-term experiments – big ideas! Celebrate startups & ecosystem Common National Philosophy

6. Your best friends will tell you… • Wide variance between communities • Learned helplessness • Learned dependence • Waiting on someone else • Waiting for approval • It’s the government’s role • Attached to the past or current reality • Lack of vision of what could be • Thinking small • We already… • I'm so busy… • In the past… • We have so many problems… • What’s in it for me? • Why bother? • Legacy ecosystem Common Obstacles

7. Approach • Sense of community responsibility • Give, then get • Open, with no gatekeepers • Honest and transparent, not afraid to confront difficult problems directly • Low on ego, driving the initiative collaboratively • Non-hierarchical • Open sharing, not being secretive w/ideas • Team is execution oriented (just get stuff done philosophy) Leaders • Leaders & Feeders – majority of champions are entrepreneurs not supporters • Team – no “leader of the leaders”; activities led by many in the group, no single point of control • Open, community wide • Effective community-level teams • Statewide focus • Diversity of champions • Active and cohesive • Evolving and porous Execution • Challenges and ideas identified based on Nine Elements of a Strong Startup Community • Action oriented, documented plan • Volunteer led and driven teams focused on each initiative • Engaging the entire Startup America stack • Visibility of Region’s startups (Startups per Million Residents) • Web presence as virtual front door to the region Celebration • Dedicated team focused on amplifying the successes of the region locally and nationally • Comprehensive PR plan for the overall region to get the word out. Actively engaging the media as a storytelling partner (stories of the startups and the region) • Actively using twitter, facebook and other social media tools to amplify local startups and region activity • Cross-posting/tweeting with other regions and SUAP Vibrant Community Map

8. Leaders & Feeders: Entrepreneur-led, Not supporter-led • Majority of the key champions and leaders are entrepreneurs • Government, University, Economic Development, Investors play a Supporter role • No “Leader of the Leaders”: Team of Leaders • Driven by a group rather than being owned by any one individual • Activities are spread across many people and small groups of volunteers • Open: Community-wide Initiative • Activating the entire community, low on ego, driving the initiative collaboratively • Everyone who wants a role can step up and lead/work on some aspect • Newcomers are welcomed and assisted in getting looped in • Community-level Teams • Individuals/teams active in all of the local major markets within the state, working to make each community strong. • Statewide Focus • Local community teams roll-up to a statewide team, which knits the entire state together. • Each active local community team is represented at a statewide level. • Diversity of Leadership • Links all geographic areas of the state, engages across industries, proactively engages women and minorities • Active & Cohesive • Team is participating on a regular basis in-person, via calls and virtually. Participants go well-beyond “name only” engagement. • Team has bonded and built relationships, worked through group dynamics; able to function as a high-performing unit • Evolving / Porous • Team proactively seeks new champions to continually refresh the energy. • No single person runs the region or “makes a career out of running a region.” Leaders Approach Execution Celebration Leaders: The Foundation

9. Sense of “Community Responsibility” • Entire community is engaged. Continually encourages and welcomes others to join in. Fosters a sense of “community responsibility” (“we are all responsible for making our community better”) • Give, then Get • Not worried about “what’s in it for me” though operating in a way that ensures a win-win for everyone. • Team members play a leadership role in making your community stronger because they are passionate about the cause not because of what they will get out of it. • Open (no gatekeepers) and Transparent • No one single person “owns” the region (though a few may be selected by the region itself to serve as overall coordinators or project managers). • Think in terms of short-term projects and teams, rather than permanent responsibilities. • Honest about what is working and what isn’t. Willing to call out inconsistencies in how the ecosystem is operating, but does so as coach rather than critic. Not secretive about any ideas – openly sharing and continually soliciting input. • Entrepreneurs at the Center • Regularly seeks out entrepreneur input rather than the champions assuming they know what the startups need. Using this outreach to engage entrepreneurs in stepping up to help solve community challenges • G.S.D. -- Get sh*t done • Action Oriented. Focused on getting things done, execution is the key, willing to move quickly and try experiments • Taking a long-term (20 year) commitment but acting quickly and iteratively • “Lean” approach – hypothesis, experiment, evaluate, respond • Thinking beyond the same old tired ideas, willing to think big and try new experiments. • Network, Not Hierarchy • Balances being organized but isn’t hierarchical, controlling or top-down. People have roles and are actively helping row the boat, but bureaucracy is not tolerated. • No Whining / Deal Directly • Champions deal directly with each other, willingly confront tough problems and self-moderate to ensure the region operates in line with overall Startup America philosophies. • Celebrate Failure • Purposefully confronting cultural limitations in the community – fear of failure, fear of risk, fear of asking Leaders Approach Execution Celebration Approach: Philosophy is Everything

10. 9 Elements of a Strong Startup Community Leaders Approach Execution Celebration Execution: What to Actually Work on?

11. Leadership 1 3 5 • No entrepreneurs prepared to lead • Entrepreneurs not connected to one another, not giving back • Little or no network among them • Some iconic or serial entrepreneurs interested in leading, making changes, giving back • Some working relationships exist within the community • Many iconic, serial entrepreneurs visible, accessible, giving back • Everyone knows each other and is collaborative and supportive Strong Startup Communities

12. Advisors, Mentors 1 3 5 • Little/no network of mentors, advisors • Few/no incubators or accelerators • Growing number of mentors, advisors with varying degrees of expertise/value, but not covering all stages, sectors, demographics or geographies • Some incubators / accelerators with limited accessibility and efficacy • Significant numbers of well-respected mentors, advisors giving back across all stages, sectors, demographics, and geographies • Large number of effective, visible, well-integrated accelerators / incubators Strong Startup Communities

13. 1 3 5 Network Density • Entrepreneurs are isolated from each other and from support organizations • Growing community of successful startups and entrepreneurs, but not across sectors, demographics, geography • Average connectivity of community of investors, advisors, mentors, and other supporters • Dense, well-connected community of startups and serial entrepreneurs. • Robust, engaged and visible community of investors, advisors, mentors, supporters • Cross-sector, Cross-demographic, cross-cultural engagement. All willing to give back Strong Startup Communities

14. Government 1 3 5 • Few policies, programs or legislation focused on young companies • Most entrepreneurs view policies and programs as either inaccessible or barriers to growth • Average government support for / understanding of significance of startups to economic growth. • Some programs / policy initiatives in place. • Some entrepreneurs feel they have to work around government bureaucracy • Strong government support for / understanding of significance of startups to economic growth. • Supportive policies in place covering economic development, tax, investment vehicles • Entrepreneurial community feels valued Strong Startup Communities

15. 1 3 5 Talent • Area is losing talent, cannot retain young people • Lack of university connection to the community • No large companies with which to work • Startups struggling to find talent and often move away as a result • Average talent pool with many gaps in areas of expertise • Universities have uneven track record as resource for talent for startups • Large companies not particularly engaged • Startups often struggle to find talent with appropriate expertise • Broad, deep talent pool for all level of employees in all sectors and areas of expertise • Universities excellent resource for startup talent and well connected to community • Large companies are feeders of mature, experienced talent Strong Startup Communities

16. Support Services 1 3 5 • Few / no professional services • No visible mentors, advisors • Entrepreneurs generally unable to find affordable quality services, office space; struggle with basic operating needs • Professional services exist but without direct focus on startups • Few act as advisors, mentors • Special programs few and far between • Access to services and space often an issue • Professional services (legal, accounting, real estate, insurance, consulting) are integrated, accessible, effective • Many serve as advisors • Special programs exist specifically for startups • Access to services is rarely an issue Strong Startup Communities

17. Opportunities for Engagement 1 3 5 • Few opportunities for engagement • Poor attendance and visibility • Significant changes needed to drive engagement in the startup community • Events exist for entrepreneurs and community to connect but primarily focused on one sector. • Visibility and attendance vary across demographics and geography • Some venues exist for informal meet-ups and connection • Large numbers of events for entrepreneurs and community to connect • Highly visible, authentic, high participation • Significant venues for community to connect • Meetups, pitch days, conferences, happy hours, startup weekends, bootcamps, celebrations, competitions Strong Startup Communities

18. Companies 1 3 5 • Little to no productive relationship between corporations and entrepreneurs • Or no large companies within the region • Local large corporations don’t act as a primary market for startups • Corporations provide support for entrepreneurs, but improved collaboration is needed • Proven track record of working with startups • Specific departments and programs exist to encourage cooperation with high growth startups • Big businesses act as key customers for startup firms • Establish and productive communication channels Strong Startup Communities

19. Capital 1 3 5 • Close to non-existent • Gaps in all sectors and all levels • Quality, visibility and engagement are all low to non-existent • Average community of capital, with gaps in sectors and at certain levels. • Quality and knowledge level of investors varies significantly • Strong, dense and supportive community of VC’s, angels, seed and other forms of financing available, visible and accessible across sectors, demographics and geography Strong Startup Communities

20. Challenges and Ideas Identified • Has reviewed the Nine Elements of a Strong Startup Community and identified the key area(s) that the region will work on improving • Identified the strategies and tactics that will be implemented to move the levers identified. Beyond working on solving challenges, has developed Big Ideas that can significantly elevate the community • Action Oriented • Focused on getting things done (versus analysis paralysis or endless planning), execution is the key, willing to move quickly and try experiments • Documented Plan • Has documented the plan for the major region initiatives (ideally tying the initiatives back to the core problems being addressed), reviewed it with Startup America, and shared it across the community • Volunteer-Driven • Has a method to see and use volunteers effectively, rather than limiting the workload to a few individuals. Divide into working groups, teams, etc. and engage volunteers based on personal passions, interests, abilities. • Engagingthe Startup America stack • Actively and continually engaging SUAP in planning, brainstorming, discussions • Invite other regions’ champions to join and provide examples, outside voices • Visibility of Region’s Startups • Startups are registering, not to receive a specific listed benefit, but as a way to raise their hand as a high growth startup and become visible to their peers and the ecosystem • Region is incorporating tactics to get companies registered into their overall plans (i.e., call to action and live registration and region-sponsored events and events hosted by others in the community) • Web Presence as a true “virtual front door” to the region Leaders Approach Execution Celebration Execution (“what”): Plan of Attack

21. Celebration Strategy • A communication strategy to help break the negative cycles in your community: negative press, negative language, talent drain, capital drain • A cohesive strategy for storytelling for the region as a whole (think purposefully and strategically – what is your brand, story, talking points, tactics for getting the word out? • Amplify startups, people, the ecosystem as a whole Media as a Channel for Story Telling • Assign a qualified point person/team to engage the media • Develop a plan/strategy for media engagement in a unified way across the region • Experiment with creative ways to get the media engaged as a story teller • Target local and national audiences  • Extend outreach beyond publications that reach existing startups to include mainstream media Social Media as a Channel for Storytelling • Assign a dedicated social media coordinator / team (ideally at least one person in each key local community will have access and be regularly engaging) • Use Facebook, Twitter, Others as storytelling/celebration vehicles • Mention #startupamerica in your tweets so we can amplify • Follow and amplify Startup America activity (@startupamerica) • Follow and amplify other regions' activity (see Region Twitter List) • Individual champions within the region actively engage with Startup America and the region via social media channels (see Region Champion Twitter List) Leaders Approach Execution Celebration Celebration

22. Approach • Sense of community responsibility • Give, then get • Open, with no gatekeepers • Honest and transparent, not afraid to confront difficult problems directly • Low on ego, driving the initiative collaboratively • Non-hierarchical • Open sharing, not being secretive w/ideas • Team is execution oriented (just get stuff done philosophy) Primary Focus: • Rallying the right startup champions (Entrepreneurs as Leaders) in local communities • Ensuring everyone is on the same page with the philosophy/approach Leaders • Leaders & Feeders – majority of champions are entrepreneurs not supporters • Team – no “leader of the leaders”; activities led by many in the group, no single point of control • Open, community wide • Effective community-level teams • Statewide focus • Diversity of champions • Active and cohesive • Evolving and porous Execution • Challenges and ideas identified based on Nine Elements of a Strong Startup Community • Action oriented, documented plan • Volunteer led and driven teams focused on each initiative • Engaging the entire Startup America stack • Visibility of Region’s startups (Startups per Million Residents) • Web presence as virtual front door to the region Celebration • Dedicated team focused on amplifying the successes of the region locally and nationally • Comprehensive PR plan for the overall region to get the word out. Actively engaging the media as a storytelling partner (stories of the startups and the region) • Actively using twitter, facebook and other social media tools to amplify local startups and region activity • Cross-posting/tweeting with other regions and SUAP Vibrant Community Map

23. Identify Regions as emerging, high potential & high performing • Acceleration Teams focused on working with portfolios of regions at different stages (think “TechStars mentor model for communities” • Focus on aggressively helping high potential regions become high performing • Track key metrics of startup performance in high performing regions Emerging High Potential High Performing Focus on Acceleration

24. Team #1 (Donna & Mary) Team #2 (Kathleen & Stephanie) Team #3 (Derek & Matt) PR VI GU AS Team Portfolios (geographically)

25. Donna Harris Managing Director of Startup Regions donna@s.co @dharrisindc Mary Simonds Account Manager mary@s.co @maryksimonds www.s.co/regions @startupamerica