The Boulder Thesis – A Sketchbook

The folks at the Kauffman foundation have put together a Sketchbook video of Brad Feld talking about the Boulder Thesis. We’re hosting a conversation with Brad Feld on October 30, 2012. We hope that you will join us. Tickets are $25 and include a copy of Brad’s book. My recommendation before attending is that everyone watch the sketchbook, it provides an effective overview of the book, and the basis to participate in the conversation.

I love this book. It captures many of my thoughts and philosophies, that I have not been able to articulate as succinctly or clearly as Brad. I have worked in high potential growth software since I joined Trilogy Software back in 1997. This was 15 years ago. I hope that I will still be working in high growth software in 15 years (that’s 2027 for those keeping track). I love the opportunities that I have had in Toronto. I am very happy to see new world-class startups that are scaling and growing in this city and across the country (go read my post on the Toronto Startup Ecosystem). I’m excited to see many entrepreneurs trying to build massive companies and stay in Canada.

We have both leaders and feeders participating in the conversation. We hope that you will join us to learn more about what Feld says sustainable entrepreneurial communities MUST HAVE:

  • Two types of people: leaders (entrepreneurs) and feeders (people who support startups, such as government agencies, funders, service providers). While the “feeders” are the very fabric of the community, the entrepreneurs must be in the lead.
  • A long-term view and commitment to building this community
  • A philosophy of inclusiveness that welcomes everyone with an interest, not just entrepreneurs
  • Substantive activities that engage the entire community to help startups move forward

Join us on October 30, 2012. I was speaking with Katherine Roos at Enterprise Toronto and we were talking about who should participate? Who do you think should attend?

A Conversation with Brad Feld – Oct 30, 2012 in Toronto

A Conversation with Brad Feld on Startup Communities - Oct 30, 2012 in Toronto

On October 30, 2012 we are hosting an event with Brad. The event starts at 6:00pm. It is at the Toronto Reference Library. Tickets start at $25/ticket and include a copy of the book (either hardcopy or a DRM protected PDF). We will have a few cocktails, some networking, and a discussion about how we make Toronto a better place for startups. We’re just working out the details for the event.

Great list of sponsors and supporters:

We’re excited to hear more about the Boulder method and the efforts of Brad Feld , . We’re huge fans of this book, check out William Mougayar’s review. The Don’t Panic: A Guide to the Toronto Startup Ecosystem post was inspired inspired by the desire to (see Brad’s comments on StartupRev).

The first step is joining in the conversation.

Buy a ticket