After years of working alongside more than 40 communities across the country, I’ve seen both the brilliance of entrepreneurial ecosystem builders and the barriers they face. These are the people who connect where others divide, listen where others overlook, and reimagine what’s possible when systems fail. Their work is essential — but too often it is invisible, underfunded, and unsustainable.
I started WayBuilders to change that.
A Better Way for Entrepreneurs
This is a pivotal moment for entrepreneurial ecosystems.
I am honored and grateful to be a collaborator, co-creator, and partner in a growing movement of organizations and communities shaping the future of this field. Momentum is building all around us:
- Right to Start — championing state-level entrepreneurship officers and policies that put entrepreneurs first.
- ESHIP Alliance — aligning practitioners and support organizations to advance the field of entrepreneurial ecosystem building (where I’m honored to serve as the first Field-Builder in Residence).
- InBIA, International Business Innovation Association — convening ecosystem builders through the nation’s longest-running annual conference for entrepreneurship support practitioners.
- Startup Champions Network — fostering peer learning and hosting bi-annual summits that provide immersive local ecosystem learning experience for its members.
- Main Street America — advancing equitable entrepreneurial ecosystems for rural communities through its national program and playbook.
- NC IDEA — championing “ecosysteming” throughout North Carolina, and demonstrating how philanthropy can lead in strengthening statewide entrepreneurial ecosystems.
- EcoMap Technologies, Inc. — leveraging technology to help communities map, connect, and navigate their entrepreneurial ecosystems with greater clarity and accessibility.
- Technical.ly — telling authentic stories of entrepreneurs, builders, and ecosystems, and shaping the national conversation around inclusive innovation.
- Black Innovation Alliance — uniting Black-led organizations that support innovators and entrepreneurs, and championing trust-based funding and equity-centered ecosystem building.
- The Black Butterfly Network — linking historically Black neighborhoods nationwide to share strategies, research, and power — putting place, history, and culture at the center of innovation.
- Durham County Government — funding the E3 Durham program and pioneering what it looks like to prioritize ecosystem building at the county level by empowering the E3 Alliance to lead instead of centralizing decisions in any one organization — a program I was honored to architect.
What was once a niche movement is now entering the mainstream.
And yet, the headwinds are real. Funding for equitable entrepreneurship is shrinking. DEI is under attack. And too many institutions are retreating into surface-level direct service offerings, one-and-done capacity-building projects, and antiquated capital access programs— at a time when the economy itself is radically shifting.
Only working on what is visible and what can be counted in immediate metrics — revenue growth, jobs created, companies launched — is no longer enough. If those kinds of interventions truly leveled the playing field, the wealth gap wouldn’t still be widening and outcomes for underestimated entrepreneurs wouldn’t still be lagging.
Take capital, for instance. Black and brown entrepreneurs don’t have a problem finding opportunities to seek capital; the problem is with the systems that undervalue their talent and underinvest in their companies. The barrier isn’t supply — it’s equity. We need better capital flow systems.
Doing things the old way won’t cut it anymore. We have to embrace innovation — and new ways of being.
Why WayBuilders
For the past seven years I’ve had the privilege of working alongside incredible colleagues at Forward Cities, partnering with communities across the country to advance ecosystem building. Together, we gathered a deep wealth of lessons, practices, and stories from the field.
Under new leadership, Forward Cities is now moving in a different direction. I respect that evolution. At the same time, I felt a responsibility to carry forward what had been learned — and to keep building on the momentum we helped spark.
Because here’s the truth: the old way isn’t working. Traditional interventions may generate outputs — businesses launched, jobs created, revenue tracked — but they don’t shift the underlying systems. If those approaches alone were enough, the racial wealth gap wouldn’t still be widening, and underestimated entrepreneurs wouldn’t still be facing disproportionate barriers.
A different kind of infrastructure is needed — one that’s invisible but essential. As Brookings argues in The Invisible Infrastructure of Inclusive Economic Growth, the relationships, trust, and connective tissue of entrepreneurial ecosystems are as critical to communities as roads and bridges. That’s the work I’ve been called to continue.
That is why I have created WayBuilders: a social enterprise that leverages innovative educational experiences to transform how entrepreneurial ecosystems are built, supported, and sustained. We’re not here to fix broken systems — we’re here to educate ecosystem builders, communities, and funders in building better ones that benefit all.
At the heart of the new venture a methodology built around three pillars:
- Waypoints — the principles that guide who ecosystem builders are and how they show up.
- Wayworks — the practices and strategies that guide how communities build ecosystems.
- Waymarks — the measures that reveal what’s changing, who it’s working for, and so there is sustainable funding for both the ecosystem efforts and the builder as a professional.
WayBuilders is my commitment to carry forward the wisdom of the past while leaning into the innovation the future demands.
Carrying a Legacy Forward – and Beyond
I am deeply grateful to the Forward Cities board for honoring the legacy of our shared work by allowing me to bring forward the organization’s core signature programs — the very initiatives that helped establish Forward Cities as a field leader in equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem building under my tenure as President & CEO.
These programs — including PLACE Builders and Black Wall Street Forward — will now continue as nonprofit projects under fiscal sponsorship, living on within WayBuilders.
I had initially hoped to advance this work within Forward Cities, but sometimes the universe has bigger plans for us than we have for ourselves. This transition ensures that years of community wisdom, trust, and innovation are not lost, but instead carried forward into the next chapter. WayBuilders is a new venture, but it is built on a foundation of legacy — one that honors the work of the past while creating space for what comes next.
Building With Collaborators
WayBuilders may be my next chapter, but it’s not meant to be built alone. The future of entrepreneurial ecosystems depends on collective imagination and shared leadership — and I am looking for collaborators who want to co-create this journey.
Whether you are a strategist, storyteller, facilitator, researcher, or culture-shaper, there is space at this table. My vision is for WayBuilders to be a hub where diverse expertise meets shared purpose — where we develop tools, teach frameworks, and model a better way of working together.
If you feel called to this work, I’d love to connect.
The Invitation
WayBuilders is my offering back to the field I love.
- If you are a builder: I invite you to see yourself as a professional in this work — because you are. You deserve tools, training, and recognition that match the weight of what you carry.
- If you are a community: I invite you to honor the people who weave your ecosystem. Invest in the connectors, conveners, and champions who hold the fabric of entrepreneurship together.
- If you are a funder: I invite you to look beyond programs and projects — and invest in the invisible infrastructure that makes entrepreneurship possible.
This is our call. Not to fix broken systems, but to build new ones. Not to wait for permission, but to build boldly, together.
Let’s build a better way – together.
Join Us
WayBuilders is just getting started — and we’d love for you to be part of the journey.
Here are three ways you can help us build momentum:
- Share this article (or post)— Help spread the word so more builders, communities, and funders know they’re not alone in this work.
- Follow us on LinkedIn — Stay connected for stories, tools, and opportunities to engage as we grow.
- Explore our website — Learn more about our vision, our methodology, and the projects we’re carrying forward – and get a sneak preview of our upcoming program opportunities.
Every share, follow, and conversation helps weave the network of support this field deserves.
