Online Event
What Startup Ecosystems Get Wrong, and How to Fix Them
Learn the operating manual for fixing how cities approach entrepreneurship
Date
mar 30, 2026
Time
12:30 pm - 02:00 pm
Address
Online Event
Most governments are getting startups wrong, and this is the conversation they've been avoiding. If your city is celebrating trivial startup events while founders quietly leave... if your programs optimize for attendance instead of outcomes... if capital keeps flowing but nothing compounds - then you're not building a sustainable ecosystem. On this live event, "Startup Economist" Paul O'Brien will provide a sharp, unapologetic deep dive into his new book, 'Startup Ecosystems' - already being called "the long-overdue operating manual for fixing how cities approach entrepreneurship".
What You’ll Walk Away With
A completely different lens on how startup economies actually work (and why most don’t):
- Why treating startups like small businesses quietly destroys both
- Why capital follows value (and what founders keep getting wrong about fundraising)
- Why copying Silicon Valley guarantees failure
- Why job creation targets kill early-stage innovation
- Why talent doesn’t follow programs — it follows optionality
- What metrics actually matter (and why most cities avoid them)
Featured Speaker:
- Paul O'Brien - Author of the book Startup Ecosystems: Paul is the Founder of MediaTech Ventures, former Director of Founder Institute Texas, Writer at The Startup Economist, and has spent his career at the intersection of startups, venture capital, and public policy. As a founder, investor, accelerator leader, and policy strategist, he has built ecosystems from the inside and developed a rare, firsthand understanding of why most of them fail. His work spans legislative strategy, coalition building, and founder support across public, private, and civic sectors. Startup Ecosystems is the culmination of everything he has learned.
The Startup Ecosystems Book is an architectural examination of why startup ecosystems fail structurally, why capital behaves exactly as it is designed to, and why most regions are measuring the wrong things entirely. The patterns he documents don't point to bad intentions. They point to misaligned incentives, flawed design, and a stubborn unwillingness to distinguish innovation theater from actual value creation.
Why This Book Is Already Getting Attention:
Early readers are calling the book:
- “Candid, direct, and usable… a reference I’ll return to often.”
- “A necessary confrontation with innovation theater.”
- “What Brad Feld did to inspire ecosystems, this does to fix them.”
Who Should Be There
If you have any role in shaping entrepreneurship, this isn’t optional:
- Founders tired of performative ecosystems
- Investors trying to understand why regions stall
- Policymakers and economic developers funding the wrong things
- Accelerator and program leaders ready to be challenged
Additional Resources:
Find more Startup Events, learn about the Entrepreneur DNA test or sign up for the Insights Newsletter to get the latest startup tips and trends.
About Founder Institute:
The Founder Institute is the world’s most proven network to turn ideas into fundable startups, and startups into global businesses. Since 2009, our structured accelerator programs have helped over 8,900 entrepreneurs raise over 2BN in funding. Based in Silicon Valley and with chapters across 100 countries, our mission is to empower communities of talented and motivated people to build impactful technology companies worldwide.
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