Library
Research, playbooks, and the occasional toolkit.
A curated library for ecosystem builders, economic developers, and policymakers. Papers we've cited, playbooks we've used, toolkits we've built, and regional studies we think are worth your time.
SourceLink: Infrastructure for Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
e2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems developed a case study on the evolution and growth of SourceLink, including the early history, impact, and lessons learned.
Micro-Businesses in Inland Southern California Creating Meaningful Jobs
SourceLink produced report showing the economic impact of micro-businesses throughout inland southern California.
What If Trust Is Infrastructure? Rethinking Collaboration in Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
Economic development has evolved from isolated programs toward collaborative ecosystems, but many initiatives still struggle because organizations lack the trust needed to work together effectively. Lomax Campbell and Rob Williams argue that trust is not just a cultural trait but a form of institutional infrastructure that enables information, capital, referrals, and opportunities to flow efficiently across networks of organizations.
Microbusinesses, Gainful Jobs
The study is based on 104 in-depth interviews with a varied set of employees of microenterprises in five cities. The study seeks to answer the question: Are jobs in microbusinesses “good” jobs? The findings suggest that despite wages that classify many of the jobs as “low-wage,” workers’ overall levels of job satisfaction were high. Additionally, other aspects of the jobs were important enough to mitigate or offset the effects of the lower wages.
A Playbook for Equitable Economic Development
IEDC playbook on equitable economic development, urging practitioners to acknowledge structural racism and to target, collaborate, and measure for racial equity throughout their work.
Future of Cities: A Roadmap to Inclusive Entrepreneurship
National League of Cities action guide outlining steps city leaders can take to build inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystems and support underrepresented entrepreneurs after the pandemic.
Strengthening Latino Business Ecosystems
Aspen Institute Latinos and Society white paper from the Latino Business and Entrepreneurship Summit, with recommendations to strengthen ecosystems supporting Latino business owners and entrepreneurs.
Small Businesses of Color Recovery Guide for City Leaders and Community Groups
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City guide for city leaders and community groups, with ideas on capital, training, policy, and community support to aid recovery of small businesses of color.
e2 University Guide
Don Macke's e2 University: a digital curriculum of guides, worksheets, and exercises covering community readiness, organizing, assessment, working with entrepreneurs, and ecosystem metrics.
Building Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Communities of Color
Guide by Dell Gines (Kansas City Fed) and Rodney Sampson (Opportunity Hub) on applying entrepreneurial ecosystem building to grow high-growth entrepreneurship in communities of color.
The Future of Economic Development: Moving towards growth, prosperity, and inclusion
Brookings essay by Amy Liu arguing economic developers should pursue inclusive growth, delivering not just top-line growth but prosperity and inclusion for all residents.
Beyond Collisions: How to Build Your Entrepreneurial Infrastructure
SourceLink book by Maria Meyers and Kate Hodel offering civic leaders a roadmap to build the infrastructure that helps entrepreneurs start and grow companies, beyond meetups and accelerators.
Small Business Growth: A New Priority for Urban Economic Developers
IEDC Economic Development Journal article by Kimberly Zeuli and Kathleen O'Shea (ICIC) urging cities to prioritize small business growth as a source of inner-city jobs.
Making (and Measuring) an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
IEDC Economic Development Journal article by Maria Meyers on KCSourceLink's approach to building and measuring an entrepreneurial ecosystem: companies created, talent, funding, and resources.
Support Organizations and Remediating the Gender Gap in Entrepreneurial Ecosystems: A Case Study of St. Louis
Kauffman case study by Watkins, Ozkazanc-Pan, Clark and Motoyama, drawing on 80+ St. Louis interviews on how support organizations work to close the gender gap in entrepreneurial ecosystems.
One Definition Does Not Fit All: The Four Types of Entrepreneurs
Maria Meyers' framework classifying entrepreneurs into four types: innovation-led, second-stage, main street, and microenterprise, each needing different resources and support.
U.S.SourceLink: Making the U.S. Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Visible
Maria Meyers explains the U.S.SourceLink model: linking entrepreneurship support organizations into visible networks, grown from Kansas City's KCSourceLink to communities nationwide.
Integrating Local Service Providers to Connect Entrepreneurs with the Right Resource at the Right Time
How Kansas City's KCSourceLink united 140 nonprofit business-support organizations into one accessible network connecting entrepreneurs to the right resource at the right time.
What an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Actually Is
Daniel Isenberg clarifies what an entrepreneurship ecosystem really is, warning against misconceptions as the concept becomes a popular economic development strategy.
Pumping up Entrepreneurial Culture
Edward Lowe Foundation guidance on building an entrepreneurial culture in communities to support entrepreneurs and drive local economic growth.
City Initiatives for Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CITIE): A Resource for City Leadership
Nesta, Accenture and Future Cities Catapult framework benchmarking innovation and entrepreneurship policy across 40 global cities, with nine government roles and 36 policy levers for city leaders.
Growing State Economies: Twelve Actions
NGA report from Gov. Heineman's chair initiative outlining twelve actions and strategies governors and state policymakers can take to spur business growth, job creation and economic development.
State Strategies to Promote Angel Investment for Economic Growth
NGA Center for Best Practices issue brief on how states can encourage angel investment in early-stage companies, covering tax credits, co-investment funds and other policy tools to grow economies.
Supporting Entrepreneurs and Small Business: A Tool Kit for Local Leaders
National League of Cities toolkit on how local governments can support small businesses, startups and entrepreneurs, with city-hall roles, partnership models and program examples nationwide.
Philadelphia Equitable Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Assessment and Strategy
Assessment of Philadelphia's small business ecosystem focused on equity for entrepreneurs of color, covering access to capital, markets, services and infrastructure, with strategy recommendations.
Mapping the Capital Region's Entrepreneurial and Startup Resources: Strengths, Weaknesses and Gap Analysis
SourceLink and Valley Vision assessment of the Sacramento Capital Region's entrepreneur support ecosystem, mapping available resources and analyzing strengths, weaknesses, and service gaps. 2015.
Fostering Productive Entrepreneurship Communities: Key Lessons on Generating Jobs, Economic Growth and Innovation
This study from Endeavor Insight is one of the first research projects to use network analyses to assess the collective impact of founders, investors, and other actors in entrepreneurship communities.
Higher Education Engagement in Economic Development: Foundations for Strategy and Practice
APLU and UEDA framework defining university economic development and engagement, with principles of practice and a taxonomy of programs to guide higher-education strategy. August 2015.
The Innovative and Entrepreneurial University: Higher Education, Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Focus
U.S. Commerce Department/EDA report documenting how U.S. colleges and universities foster innovation, entrepreneurship, technology transfer, and regional economic growth. 2013.
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