Hello Reader,

In issue #126, I shared Adam's and Jeff's story of turning their back-of-a-napkin idea into a $150 million startup.

Jeff and Adam are the reason I build entrepreneurial ecosystems.

I believe entrepreneurship gives communities the ability to thrive and take care of themselves. In It Takes a Valley, I dig into the six most common reasons ecosystem builders have shared with me over the years for why they do this work.

One ecosystem builder can only do so much. But a decade of documenting a growing field of practitioners who share that belief gives me real hope that we can unlock what's possible in towns, cities, regions, and countries everywhere.

It's ecosystem builders like Margo, Carina, and Chris who are the reason I wrote this book (and you can meet them at my upcoming virtual launch party!).

​It Takes a Valley will give you a real sense of what's possible for the economic future of our communities. It will also show you that you don't need a decade of experience or an official title to make a difference where you are.

You can start right now, where you are, with what you have. It Takes a Valley shows you how.

What's the "why" that got you into this work? Hit reply and tell me. I'm collecting these for the Richmond launch and would love to include yours.

Ecosystem Essential: The power of the invitation

While developing the "Convene your people" guide (going out to Kickstarter Ecosystem Fellows and above), I dove back into an often-overlooked tool for building relationships and trust: the invitation itself.

Too often an invitation is just a spec sheet, the when, where, and maybe the why. But by viewing invitations as merely a logistics tool, we're ignoring a great opportunity to build and strengthen relationships, and cultivate the kind of culture we hope to instill in our ecosystem.

Here are five pieces of advice for a stronger invitation:

1. Declare the Possibility of the Gathering: What is the future we are gathering to co-create? This is the first meeting on our journey to get there.
2. Frame the choice: The invitation must allow room for a “no”. Invitees must know their choice will be respected and won't exclude them in the future. Because as good ecosystem builders, we always keep the door open.
3. Name the hurdle: Communicate clearly what’s expected. This is where you raise the stakes and help attendees decide whether this is truly for them: Plan to have your camera on, commit to being fully present, arrive ready to engage with others.
4. Reinforce the request: Close the invitation by emphasizing that you want them to attend; restate why you think they’re a valuable member of this group.
5. Make it personal: A personal invitation beats an anonymous “Hi all!”-email. An invitation is a great way to (re-)connect with people in your ecosystem by checking in one-on-one and following up on whatever you last talked about. Don’t squander it.

Book Launches

Join my virtual launch party on September 14, 2026, at 12.30 p.m. EST🎉

Local to the Valley or headed to Richmond this fall? Here's where to find me:

• Staunton Innovation Hub — Sept 15, 6:30pm
• Parentheses Books, Harrisonburg — Sept 16, 6:30pm
• Startup Champions Network Summit, Richmond — Sept 29 (RSVP by Sept 14)

Bookish

Here's what I've read and thoroughly enjoyed this summer:

• ​Malibu Rising, Taylor Jenkins Reid. Taylor Jenkins Reid never disappoints. When my friend Ashley spotted this book on my to-read list, she recommended it as a great summer read, and she was spot-on. Entertaining page-turner. Highly recommend.
• ​Das Gute Leben, Janine Schneider (German). Hit closer to home than expected. A woman returns to the childhood home she inherited from the grandmother who raised her, facing old demons without ever getting the answers she wants.
• ​Lügen über meine Mutter, Daniela Droescher (German). A painful, unflinching account of a mother's body image and shame inside 1980s West German patriarchy, told through her daughter's eyes.

Shen-Anika-ns

Let's build better ecosystems together! Here are three events over the next six weeks where we can roll up our sleeves together:

• August 27, noon EST: ESHIP Commons Connect. Join us for a one-hour session to navigate the ESHIP Commons (a free online community for entrepreneurial ecosystem builders) and hear what ESHIP Independents is up to.
• September 24, 1 p.m. EST: Beyond the Panel. In this webinar in partnership with InBIA, I share different event formats that actually center entrepreneurs and help you build trust in your ecosystem.
• October 1: I'll be hosting an Ecosystem Exchange Challenge at the Startup Champions Network Summit in Richmond. [Ticketed event]

I'll be back in your inbox in two weeks!

In camaraderie,

Anika

P.S. Missed my last newsletter? Check out the previous issues of Impact Curator.