The ECatalyst Process

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When ECatalyst starts "building" an ecosystem (see "What is an Ecosystem?"), we are doing two things: 

1. Creating a growing network of local business leaders, investors, entrepreneurs, and mentors who have the knowledge, access to resources, and support for entrepreneurs that creates an environment where entrepreneurs can thrive. 
2. Building a community of entrepreneurs who start building businesses as they grow the entrepreneurial capacity of the community itself.

We think of building an ecosystem while building businesses a little like teaching a cooking class… you can’t teach without cooking something. You have to smell, taste, and enjoy what you are cooking in order to learn. But the dish you cook is not the point of the class... it will be eaten that night. The point is creating a community of cooks. In the same way, we are creating a community and network that starts businesses, but to do so we have to cook something: businesses around which the community can rally. But the point is the community, not the businesses themselves.

For business creation, we have a dynamic process that moves through five stages. The initial stage (Stage 0) is a set up stage where we are gathering the entrepreneurs and helping them clarify their business ideas. Each subsequent stage begins with an event where the entrepreneurs can show off their progress from the previous stage, and begin to work through the material for the next stage. Then, for the next two months, the entrepreneurs meet every week to progress through the steps they need to take to build their businesses.  

1. Stage 0: Set Up - Though the catalytic leader and core team are very involved in setting up the initial network of business leaders and other resources, for new entrepreneurs their primary task is to walk through some evaluative steps and create their business idea. Then at the first event, they start working with this initial idea.
2. Stage 1: Ideation - In our first event we introduce the ideas. This process establishes, validates, and refines the core business idea for each team and evaluates that idea for growth-oriented potential. By the end of this stage, each team that completes Stage 1 will have a viable, well-tested idea that they can confidently pursue through the next stages of growth. 
3. Stage 2: Build - Stage 2 for the entrepreneurs is about building: building their product or service and building their businesses. They will choose and implement their core identity as a company, complete a business plan using the Lean Model Canvas, and build and rebuild a Minimum Viable Product (or service) until they have a true fit for the market.
4. Stage 3: Pre-Launch - Stage 3 is about preparing to launch into the market. Some businesses may have already launched or partially launched before Stage 3, or perhaps will do so in the middle of this stage. But this stage is about preparing a Go-to-Market strategy and finalizing all the legal and financial requirements they might have in order to fully launch, including pitch-prep if there is the intention to seek capitalization.
5. Stage 4: Launch! - Stage 4 begins and ends with a celebration of the Launch of the businesses. It may or may not include a pitch event if some of the businesses need to seek capitalization. We put a priority on local investments because those create yet more connections in the ecosystem between business leaders and entrepreneurs. But ECatalyst also has access to multiple international partners who are also willing to invest.