Empowering the people who build communities where entrepreneurs can thrive.

ESHIP Alliance is a field catalyst uniting a national network of organizations and people to advance entrepreneurial ecosystem building as a widely recognized professional practice.

Our alliance equips community leaders across networks and sectors with the knowledge, resources, and connections to strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems —creating a more inclusive, resilient, and connected economy from the ground up.

What is Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Building?

Video courtesy of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

  • ESHIP Commons

    Digital and In-Person Community Platform

    A digital and in-person, cross-sector community platform that fosters connectivity, collaboration, peer learning, and the discovery of tools and opportunities for ecosystem building practitioners, national ecosystem building resource providers (NRPs) and allies. It is also the digital home of the Alliance’s community and collective work.

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  • Field Building Project Accelerator & Funding

    A collaborative field-building lab where we co-create and advance dozens of field building projects aligned with the ESHIP Goals. Just as entrepreneurial accelerators strengthen startup companies, this program strengthens the field by accelerating projects that improve the infrastructure and practice of ecosystem building nationwide.

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Learn more about the mission and vision of the Alliance

Learn more about the mission and vision of the Alliance

Learn more about the ESHIP Alliance's current fundraising effort

Learn more about the ESHIP Alliance's current fundraising effort

Learn more about the State of Our Field

Learn more about the State of Our Field

Explore collaborative Field Building iniaitives

Explore collaborative Field Building iniaitives

Meet the ESHIP Alliance Leadership Team

Meet the ESHIP Alliance Leadership Team

Join Our Online Community: ESHIP Commons

Join Our Online Community: ESHIP Commons

Meet the newest members of our Leadership Council and Core Team

Meet the newest members of our Leadership Council and Core Team

Learn more about the ESHIP Commons and its progress

Learn more about the ESHIP Commons and its progress

Voices from the Field

Featured
The Commons at Nine Months: From Shared Vision to Shared Stewardship
The Commons at Nine Months: From Shared Vision to Shared Stewardship

Beginning in 2018, I had the honor of serving as the architect of the ESHIP Communities initiative, which was created to codify and test promising ecosystem building methodologies in communities across the country. The effort was a part of the broader ESHIP initiative, funded and stewarded by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which also included the popular ESHIP Summits, the ESHIP Goals development, and the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Building Playbook.

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ESHIP Alliance Is Raising Our Next Round of Growth Funding
ESHIP Alliance Is Raising Our Next Round of Growth Funding

After 18 months of testing, learning by doing, and organizational build-out, the ESHIP Alliance has emerged as a field catalyst for entrepreneurial ecosystem building in the United States.

With our initial design and launch phase complete, we’re now raising a $500,000 capacity-building funding round to extend our organizational runway, build our capacity and staff, and support our transition to a more diversified, coalition-backed funding and revenue model.

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Empowering the Next Generation Through Youth Entrepreneurship Education 
Empowering the Next Generation Through Youth Entrepreneurship Education 

Youth Entrepreneurship Day is not only a feel-good moment to celebrate, it’s an urgent call to action. As education systems evolve, job growth plateaus, and technology rapidly advances, the question becomes clear: How can young people from all walks of life be prepared for an uncertain future?

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Rooted in Nature: Lessons for Building Resilient Ecosystems
Rooted in Nature: Lessons for Building Resilient Ecosystems

Mari Hicks found the secret to building thriving entrepreneurial ecosystems in a rural Spanish town in the heart of the Ribera del Duero region, where she attended the DEEP Ecosystems Conference focused on nature-based solutions for entrepreneurial ecosystem building. 

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