Join ecosystem builders, entrepreneurs, and partners from across the country to strengthen understanding of ecosystem building’s contribution to entrepreneur success and stronger economies.
Building on the original purpose of the seven ESHIP Goals, Converge will connect evidence, storytelling, and collaborative action to build confidence in the work—and broader public, private, and philanthropic support to sustain it.
West Virginia Entrepreneurship Ecosystem,
National anchors
National anchors help ESHIP Alliance support and extend Converge across the ecosystem-building field.
The ESHIP Summit Legacy
From 2017–2020, the Kauffman Foundation and community partners brought entrepreneurial ecosystem builders together to help shape an emerging field of practice. The Summits—and the collaborative work that continued between them—created a shared foundation that the field is still building on today.
National gatherings where more than 1,000 ecosystem builders from all 50 states and beyond connected across communities and sectors, surfaced field-wide challenges, and collaboratively developed shared priorities, relationships, tools, and knowledge.
A living record of the field’s collective learning—documenting the discover, design, and deliver process, the seven ESHIP Goals, proposed initiatives, and practical guidance for strengthening entrepreneurial ecosystems and the profession itself.
Whether you helped shape this work from the beginning, encountered it somewhere along the way, or are just beginning to see yourself as an ecosystem builder, this history belongs to a field that is still growing—and still being shaped.
A history worth building on
A field-building milestone
The original ESHIP initiative recognized that ecosystem building faced an adoption chasm: the gap between an emerging practice and a widely understood, supported, and effective approach to economic development. The seven ESHIP Goals were developed to help the field cross that gap together.
Since then, practitioners and partners have built relationships, tools, knowledge, and greater visibility for the work. Those foundations give us more to draw on as we address the questions that remain: How does ecosystem building contribute to entrepreneur success and stronger economies? What evidence builds confidence? And what will sustain the work?
Converge brings us together to advance that original purpose—connecting progress across all seven Goals to strengthen the case for ecosystem building and shape our shared action through 2030.
What we are solving for
Ecosystem builders strengthen entrepreneurship in communities, regions, institutions, and industries. Field building strengthens the shared profession around that work—connecting practitioners, improving methods, building visibility, and creating the conditions for ecosystem building to endure.
Together, we have helped move ecosystem building from an emerging practice toward a recognized field. Yet the people and organizations powering this work face increasing pressure to demonstrate value, sustain engagement, secure resources, and navigate a fragmented funding and partnership landscape.
Ecosystem building takes different forms across communities and institutions. We need a clearer shared account of what the work involves, how it complements direct support for entrepreneurs, and why it matters.
Research, practical knowledge, and entrepreneur stories are scattered across the field. Connecting them can help demonstrate ecosystem building’s contribution to entrepreneur success and stronger economies—and reveal where further learning is needed.
Public, private, and philanthropic partners need confidence in what their investment can help achieve. Strengthening that confidence requires credible evidence, relevant stories, and relationships that connect ecosystem building to shared priorities.
Fall 2026 Field Discovery
Across four partner activations and ongoing conversations in ESHIP Commons, we’re gathering perspectives on what is working, what is at risk, and where collective action can help.
Five streams of discovery. One shared national conversation.
Nieux + Technical.ly
IEDC Annual Conference | New Orleans, LA
SourceLink + IEDC
IEDC Annual Conference | New Orleans, LA
InBIA + Entrepreneurship Funders Network
InBIA Annual Conference | Detroit, MI
HUUB
IEDC Annual Conference | New Orleans, LA
ESHIP Commons
Ongoing online community
The November Virtual Convening
More than a convening—a convergence.
ESHIP Converge is a national, participatory process culminating in two interactive virtual sessions. Each day will combine national framing, practical insights, facilitated small-group dialogue, individual reflection, collaborative work, and scheduled breaks. Ecosystem builders will bring insights from communities, partner events, and the ESHIP Commons into facilitated conversations—first to understand where the field stands, then to set priorities and begin designing projects that can move the work forward.
You do not need prior involvement with the ESHIP Summits, ESHIP Alliance, or ESHIP Commons to participate.
Explore session descriptions, workshop choices, and design labs. All times Eastern.
Day One · November 17
Get oriented, hear Julie Heath on why this moment matters, and revisit the field’s thought leadership and ESHIP legacy.
Hear how initiatives across the seven ESHIP Goals are removing barriers for entrepreneurs and what you can adapt in your own community.
Hear recorded reflections and a live conversation about what has changed for entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders since 2020.
Join a peer conversation for independent practitioners, organizations that train and support ecosystems and their builders, product and service providers, or entrepreneur support and resource providers. Share what’s changing, how you’re adapting, and what could help sustain the work.
Choose from Two Paths to Statewide Impact, Workforce Funding, The Irrational Ecosystem, AI, or the Regenerative Economy. Take away an approach you can adapt.
Name an insight, connection, or question to carry into Day 2’s work.
Day Two · November 18
Reconnect with Day 1’s takeaways and meet potential collaborators who share your priorities.
Hear the Alliance’s vision through 2030, then discuss what evidence would help different funding partners see the value of ecosystem building.
Shape shared projects that make the case for ecosystem building’s contribution to entrepreneur success and stronger economies. Choose an ESHIP Goal or storytelling lab and build on what we heard in the funder conversations.
Review ideas from the labs, offer feedback, and choose where you can help move a project forward through ESHIP Commons.
Share what you learned and what you’ll carry forward from Converge.
Contributors
Meet the ecosystem builders and field leaders contributing through program design, facilitation, and recorded conversations. We’re still adding contributors, with more voices and perspectives to come.
Core TeamESHIP Alliance · WayBuilders
Core TeamESHIP Alliance
Core TeamSocial Venturers
Core TeamInBIA
Core TeamMass Collaboration
Core TeamSourceLink
Core TeamVenn Collaborative
CouncilCivic Possible
CouncilCoach Carter Consulting
CouncilPetra Impact Partners
CouncilEconomic Growth Strategies
CouncilAmerican University
CouncilMain Street America
CouncilThird Eye Network
Economic InsightsTechnical.ly
ProductionAgora Media
Impact StoryIU Innovates · Indiana University
SponsorSpark Coworking
Thought LeaderNational Center for Economic Gardening
Thought LeaderRight to Start
Thought Leadere2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
Thought LeaderAuthor, Beyond Collisions
Thought LeaderNetWork Kansas
Field DiscoveryNieux
West VirginiaBridging Innovation Institute
Service ProvidersHUUB
KentuckyBlue North
Artificial IntelligenceEconomic Development Strategist
Collaborative CultureAbundance Capital
PhilanthropyEntrepreneurship Funders Network
Federal GovernmentUS Ignite
Practical Metrics & MethodsMain Street America
Shared VisionLaunch Pad Studio
Inclusive FieldHUSTLE Winston-Salem
Social ImpactBig Table Institute
Venture CapitalStartup Economist
Practical Metrics & MethodsCommunity Health Intelligence
Sustainable WorkInternational Economic Development Council
StorytellingMechanism
The Participant Experience
Converge welcomes entrepreneurs, ecosystem builders, entrepreneurial support organizations, economic development professionals, researchers, national resource providers, and partners from government, philanthropy, and business.
Bring your experience, questions, and perspective to help develop and test a stronger case for ecosystem building. Whether you’re an experienced practitioner or new to the conversation, you have something to contribute. No previous involvement with ESHIP is required.
Where the work leads
Making the Case for Ecosystem Building
Help shape a shared agenda for demonstrating ecosystem building’s contribution to entrepreneur success and stronger economies—and building broader support to sustain the work.
Drawing on all seven ESHIP Goals, Converge participants will advance existing initiatives or develop new projects that strengthen Goal 6: Universal Support. Each project concept will identify its intended audience, contribution to making the case, evidence or resources needed, and a first achievable milestone.
Together, we’ll identify connections across projects and opportunities for shared stewardship. These initial concepts will continue to develop after Converge, with ESHIP Commons serving as the central hub for project teams, resources, and progress.
Our Collective Goals
Created with input from 800 ecosystem builders, the seven ESHIP Goals define the conditions needed to strengthen the field—and provide the framework for Converge’s collaborative work.
Ensure ecosystem builders with diverse perspectives lead our field.
Cultivate a culture of trust and collaboration within our field.
Establish shared outcomes and a common lexicon for our work.
Foster coordination and collaboration efforts to connect ecosystem builders across networks.
Identify and develop better metrics and methods for ecosystem building.
Expand external stakeholder understanding of and support for ecosystem building.
Develop professional recognition and resources for ecosystem builders.
What Comes Next
For those who want to go deeper and carry the work forward after the event, ESHIP Commons will provide an ongoing home for project teams to continue designing solutions, building partnerships, developing funding strategies, and moving priority projects toward activation.
Visit ESHIP CommonsVirtual by design
Virtual is not a concession.It is part of the field-building design.
Attend individually from wherever you are—or participate with a small delegation connected by a place, organization, network, sector, or shared area of work.
No airfare, hotel, or invitation required to enter the national conversation.
More people and communities can contribute across geography, role, and organizational budget.
Local and regional delegations can participate together and carry the learning home.
A growing national network
See where registered Converge attendees are joining us from. Darker green states have more registrants.
Also joining us from New South Wales, Australia and Québec, Canada.
Registrations through November 10, 2026. Based on locations provided during registration.
Registrant locations are aggregated by state. Partner markers are approximate. State outlines via SVG Maps (CC BY-NC 4.0).
Field-Wide Support
These partners are helping ESHIP Converge reach ecosystem builders across organizations, sectors, networks, and communities—bringing more voices into the national conversation.
Event registration
Join ecosystem builders from across the country online on November 17–18, 2026 to strengthen the case for ecosystem building and help shape what comes next.
November 17–18, 2026 · Virtual by design.
“The future is built together.”
Joining a delegation is optional. You can register and participate fully as an individual.
If you’d like a smaller peer group within the national conversation, topical delegations offer a way to connect through a shared sector, ecosystem type, entrepreneur community, or experience level.
During Converge, delegations will have designated time to connect and share insights. Afterward, each group will receive a custom toolkit and a way to stay connected.
We’re forming groups based on interest and identifying conveners. Confirmed options will be shared before Converge.
If you’d like to join or help convene a delegation, indicate your interest in the registration form below. For more detailed peer matching, share your delegation preferences.
Scroll inside the form to the bottom of each step to find Continue or Register.
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