Get Involved!

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A Catalytic Leader is the key networker at the beginning of an ecosystem launch that connects, convinces, and cares for the growing network. As such, the most important qualifications for a successful Catalytic Leader is networking capacity among local business leaders and a heart to grow the local economy. 

A Catalytic Leader must live in the local ecosystem. Ideally he/she would be from the area, would speak the local language, and would be well acquainted with local business practice. But none of these conditions necessarily must be true, if the Leader is well connected to a strong network of local business leaders. Examples of non-local or non-business Catalytic Leaders could be: 

• A local religious worker who is well connected to business leaders
• A foreign NGO leader living in a developing context
• A governmental official that wants to develop entrepreneurship in his/her community 
• A  foreign owner of a local business who wants to help grow the local economy. 

The Catalytic Leader will also be the primary ecosystem event planner, and may expect some financial remuneration from those activities. 

We are looking for local heroes! The entrepreneurs of an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem are the innovative and economic force behind all ecosystem growth. They are also the ones who will benefit the most from the training, resources and leadership in the ecosystem. So if you have a business idea, or if you have recently started a business, and you are willing to put in the hard work and time to grow it and make it successful, then you are one of the heroes we most want to support!

Within any ecosystem, ECatalyst is looking for local (national) business leaders in successful businesses in the area and who want to see the local ecosystem grow. We believe that all businesses in an ecosystem, including the well-established ones, will see significant benefit as an ecosystem and economy grows, so current business owners benefit from their service to their ecosystem. 

There are a number of ways that you, as a local business leader, could get involved, such as: 

• Mentoring new entrepreneurs as they develop their new business (from which the mentor could take a small equity stake)
• Developing entrepreneurial resources for entrepreneurs in the local economy
• Investing into one or more businesses that reach investment grade through the ecosystem.

Many businesses "bootstrap" (use their own resources) to launch, but many need at least some level of investment to get off the ground. ECatalysts want to prioritize local investors because local investments create even more connections and interdependence in the ecosystem. But often there is not enough local investment money to cover all of the needs of our new businesses. In such cases, ECatalyst looks to supplement local investment with investment resources from international investors and investor groups. Both roles, local and international, are critical, and can have significant impact on these growing economies.

Local business mentors are also essential parts of an ecosystem. ECatalyst believes that every entrepreneur should have a mentor who can give fresh perspective and relevant business insight. In a few cases we welcome the help of international mentors as well as local ones who can provide specific counsel on specific issues. This can also be a great way for Ecosystem Supporters to contribute to local entrepreneurs in a way that is not simply financial. 

ECatalyst is seeking to create for-profit, sustainable entities in the developing world via our nonprofit process. But while the local ecosystems will eventually be self-sustaining, we are not expecting those developing-world ecosystems to support ECatalyst in addition to themselves. So, each ecosystem launch will need financial partners who want to see sustainable ecosystem growth happen. 

If you are interested in partnering with a specific ecosystem, please contact us and have a conversation about what ecosystem with which you would like to partner and how you would like to support it, especially if you would like to do more than just give financially. 

As a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, ECatalyst depends on your financial support for its on-going programs. We are committed to keeping overhead costs as low as possible so that we can help as many ecosystems as possible. And because we are creating self-sustaining entities, we can gradually pull out of one location as it becomes sustainable and move on to others that also need our help. This way you can be sure that your charitable dollars are used to help as many people as possible by giving them the tools to help themselves.