Startup Communities

Overview

Your location and network determine your startup's trajectory more than you think. The right community gives you: co-founders, first customers, early employees, warm investor intros, and a peer group that understands the grind. The mistake: building in isolation because "the internet makes location irrelevant." The internet distributes information but not trust, not serendipitous co-founder meetings, and not the informal advice that saves your startup. This skill maps every major startup community globally, the accelerators and incubators worth applying to, and the online communities that connect you regardless of geography.

Authoritative Foundations

• Brad Feld — Startup Communities (Boulder Thesis) — Communities must be led by entrepreneurs, take a long-term view, include everyone, and run continuous activities.
• David Spinks — The Business of Belonging — Tie community to a business outcome (support, product, acquisition, success) and measure it.
• CMX — SPACES model — Pick the community's primary value: Support, Product, Acquisition, Contribution, Engagement, or Success.
• Seth Godin — Tribes — People join tribes around a shared idea and a leader; give the community a reason to exist beyond your product.