Where conversations become clarity—and clarity becomes action.

Jumpstart Your Ecosystem

Connection. Clarity. Collective Action.

Group of seven smiling people gathered around a table in a conference room, some seated and some standing, with papers, drinks, and supplies on the table.

WayBuilder Week

A 5-day immersive experience for communities building stronger, more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems.

2 Fall Spots Available • Hosting Inquiry Required

🗓 5 Days | 🤝 In-Person & Place-Based | 🌍 Customized

Entrepreneurship has the power to shape more inclusive, thriving local economies—but only when the systems around it are built for everyone. WayBuilders Week is a place-based experience that brings your community together to better understand, align, and strengthen your local entrepreneurial ecosystem. It’s not a one-off event. It’s a week of connection, strategy, storytelling, and shared vision—designed to spark long-term impact.

Five women standing in a line looking at and writing on notes on a glass wall in a conference room.

What happens during the week?

Over five days, we guide a wide range of community stakeholders—entrepreneurs, support organizations, funders, local government, educators, and residents—through a hands-on experience that includes:

  • Listening deeply to entrepreneurs and the local context

  • Mapping existing assets and gaps

  • Exploring shared values and challenges across stakeholders

  • Identifying opportunities for greater alignment

  • Co-creating next steps rooted in collaboration and trust

Every session is interactive. Every voice matters. And every outcome is designed with action and sustainability in mind.

National Expertise. Local Impact.

Your community will be guided by a curated team of national ecosystem-building experts — selected to match your local priorities in areas like ecosystem design, capital strategy, cultural strategy, and impact measurement. We work with you to shape and customize our signature 5-day community experience so it speaks directly to your context, goals, and opportunities.

Sample Week Flow

  • Meet your local ecosystem with fresh eyes. We tour spaces, hear stories, talk to entrepreneurs and begin building shared context through listening and reflection.

  • What values define how your ecosystem works—and who it works for? Entrepreneurial support organizations surface what’s working, what’s missing, and what needs to shift to build trust and belonging.

  • Through facilitated sessions, ecosystem leaders. community partners and funders align around shared priorities, roles, and next steps—while exploring how to track what matters and move toward meaningful outcomes.

  • A evening of storytelling, visibility, and connection. The broader community is invited to gather, celebrate local entrepreneurs and champions - and cast a collective vision for the future.

  • The week closes with a morniing session focused session for a small group of committed local leaders and funders. Together, they begin shaping a plan to sustain the work and carry it forward—grounded in clarity, collaboration, and accountability.

A group of diverse people having a discussion around a conference table in a meeting room with notes, water bottles, and drinks on the table.

Impact - in Their Own Words

  • Close-up of a smiling woman with short brown hair, wearing earrings and a necklace, against a plain background.

    “We were inspired with a vision of what is possible when the Douglas County community is able to effectively transform the way it views, resources and supports every entrepreneur.”

    Jill Joliiceur | Douglas County Economic Development

  • A smiling woman with glasses, dark hair, and a polka-dot shirt under a pink blazer in an indoor setting.

    What a week! I was pleasantly surprised at how many people were open to having these conversations and working together. I feel hopeful for the future.”

    Connie Fitzpatrick, | Food Systems Specialist, Douglas County

  • Man with glasses smiling, standing in front of a space-themed mural painted on a wall.

    "Great experience elevating economic opportunity for Sacramento. We're proud to be a sponsor—helping foster dialogue and strategic planning for our ecosystem.”

    Franklin Burris | Sacramento Municipal Utility District

  • Close-up of a smiling woman with dark hair, wearing earrings, and showing her teeth.

    “Our Stockton Blvd. businesses were in attendance and gained so much from the experience. Shout out to Fiesta Nutrition, Boot Town Western Wear, and Gyro Genie for participating.”

    Vincene Jones | Stockton Blvd Business Partnership

Selecting Communities for Q1 2026

We’re currently scheduling WayBuilders Week experiences for Q1 of 2026. If your community is ready to take the next step—building stronger connections, aligning efforts, and creating more inclusive conditions for entrepreneurs—we’d love to talk. Let's build better together.

  • Man in a dark blue suit speaking at a roundtable discussion with a woman and another man in a conference room.
  • Two people, a man and a woman, are bumping fists in an office or conference room. The man is wearing a suit, and the woman is holding a drink with a straw and wearing a light-colored jacket. In the background, there are whiteboards with notes and a clock on the wall.
  • A woman standing at a podium speaking into a microphone, smiling, in a conference room with a sign that reads 'Care Red County'.
  • Man with a beard and turban, wearing a patterned shirt, sitting cross-legged with hands clasped during a meeting or conference.
  • Group of diverse people standing and sitting in a conference or workshop room, with some smiling and engaging with each other. There are tables with papers, notebooks, drinks, and personal items.
  • Two women with name tags conversing at a conference or meeting, seated at a table with papers, pens, a smartphone, and a plate of food, in a crowded room with other attendees in the background.
  • Two men sitting at a round table having a conversation, one is holding a fork and water bottle, and there are orange containers on the table.

A Better Way of Building.

This work is bigger than any one of us—and it starts with connection. Ready to build better with us?