Hello Reader,

Last week, I attended the Startup Champions Network (SCN) Fall Summit in Richmond, VA. One of the things that SCN does better than anyone is curate an event that feels nothing like a conference. On more than one occasion, I have described it as part professional development, part group counseling for ecosystem builders. And last week was no exception.

I launched It Takes a Valley in Richmond, the city where my ecosystem-building journey began. I also ran the Ecosystem Exchange, a session format I designed for the 2024 SCN Summit in the Shenandoah Valley.

Ecosystem Exchange

In this format, reps from the local ecosystem bring their toughest challenges as a specific question ("Space-Making: What are sustainable revenue streams for incubation spaces? What do successful business models look like?"). Non-local ecosystem builders help them tackle the question at hand, informed by their work in their respective communities.

Instead of being talked at (a pet peeve of mine), all conference attendees are deeply engaged in collectively solving real problems in the host ecosystem. Visitors lend their expertise, and locals get unstuck thanks to new perspectives. Ideally, they leave the session with tangible next steps and the phone number of a peer who is willing to help in the future.

Every time I run this session format, I'm reminded that much of the knowledge needed is already in the room. We just need to unlock it.

The beauty of this format is that everyone gives and receives: Participants bring their best and highest work, and working on a real problem side by side builds shared identity and trust.

As I watched nine working groups tackle some pretty hairy ecosystem problems during the SCN Summit, I thought, "THIS is what we do best! THIS is worth coming for!" Watching these brilliant minds put their heads together to help each other get unstuck feels pretty amazing.

* Shout-out to Austin Lopesilvero, who took these photos at SCN and let me use them in my newsletter. THANK YOU!

In this issue:

• The Ecosystem Exchange: a session format where nobody gets talked at
• Ecosystem Essential: my most valued event formats, with templates and run-of-shows
• Book Deep Dives: three live sessions on It Takes a Valley, starting October 19
• Shen-Anika-ns: a dragon hunt, an improv troupe, and a marching band

Ecosystem Essential: Event Formats that Build the Ecosystem

During my time as Director of Ecosystem Building in the Shenandoah Valley, I hosted many events. One evening, while I compulsively checked RSVPs for our next event, confirmed the venue, and triple-checked that we would have enough chairs, I asked myself when I had become an event planner.

That was until I realized that hosting exceptional events that truly centered the entrepreneur was part of how I was building the ecosystem. An event designed to serve founders and connect people models the behavior we hope to see across the ecosystem. That's where we build trusting relationships that let us move relevant information efficiently from those who have it to those who need it. And that, in its very essence, is ecosystem building.

I created this guide to share my most valued event formats with you. These have helped me host the kind of events that build trusting relationships within the ecosystem:

I included templates and suggested run-of-shows so you can run these at your next founder meetup without reinventing the wheel.

What's a problem your ecosystem is currently stuck on?

Book Deep Dives

If you're anything like me, you read a good book (like It Takes a Valley), think, "Great advice, I should implement that!", then put it on the shelf and forget all the great ideas it inspired.

And since we're all doers here, I don't want that to happen to you!

I invite you to join us to dive deeper into three chapters of It Takes a Valley:

• Managing Conflict in Ecosystem Building
• Taking care of the builder
• How to tell stories when you're not a storyteller

In each 90-minute session, we will explore each chapter with one of the contributors, work through the book’s reflection questions together (because you know you won't do it on your own), and apply the ideas to your real ecosystem and challenges.

Dates:

• October 19, 2026: 12:00 - 1:30 pm ET
• November 2, 2026: 12:00 - 1:30 pm ET
• November 16, 2026: 12:00 - 1:30 pm ET

The full series is $130; register here:

Shen-Anika-ns

When I tell you SCN is a convening like no other, here's what that looks like. Borrow any or all of these three activities to level up your next event:

• Add a scavenger hunt to get attendees out of the conference center and into the community. During the Summit in the Shenandoah Valley, attendees did a dragon hunt that took them through small businesses throughout downtown Staunton. Some cities offer self-guided street art tours. Have you ever considered creating a scavenger hunt through your local coffee shops, art galleries, or bookshops? Have at it!
• Following lunch on the last day, Richmond's Coalition Theater troupe joined us for an hour of improv games that got Summit attendees out of their seats and laughing to tears. I highly recommend adding an interactive comedy element to your conference, especially after an intense morning.
• A local marching band marched us from the last Summit session to a small block party celebrating the end of the Summit. We marched and danced down the sidewalk to trumpets and a sousaphone. This just may have been the most memorable event finale I've ever experienced.

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

In camaraderie,

Anika

P.S. Don't have your book yet? Grab a signed first edition here.