6 Takeaways from the Spring Summit That Matter Today
Right before many communities shut down because of COVID-19, a group of SCN Members gathered in San Antonio for our 2020 Spring Summit. The theme was “This Is What Collaboration Looks Like.” As we’ve highlighted in previous blog posts, the San Antonio ecosystem is an extremely collaborative one. Every organization works together to support entrepreneurs and help grow the ecosystem. Reading about it is one thing, but experiencing it in person was truly powerful.
It feels like the summit was so long ago, but the lessons learned during our 2.5 days together are extremely relevant now in this time of crisis. As we think back, we are grateful for the gift of time in person and the chance to brainstorm with ecosystem builders about how we should respond to the massive shifts happening in our communities. Here are some lessons learned that are relevant now.
Making entrepreneurship accessible.
Practicing inclusive entrepreneurship means everyone interested in starting a business has access to tools and resources to do so. In San Antonio, several Entrepreneurship Support Organizations (ESOs) help increase access by co-locating their offices in the public library.
LaunchSA’s mission is to connect entrepreneurs to resources through multiple programs. Their office, located in the downtown Central Library is home to other support organizations whose doors are literally open to anyone who needs help.
We heard from 10 different ESOs that day and learned how they all collaborate to lift the entire ecosystem up through monthly Entrepreneur Support Organization luncheons. While going to a physical space is not possible right now, one takeaway to be gleaned from this is the ecosystem's ability to meet people where they are and provide a one-stop shop for access. That could easily translate into an online community forum, Facebook Group, or website.
Lessons in inclusion: The Curb Cut Effect
“There’s a blueprint for a kid that wants to play basketball or football. There’s a blueprint from PeeWees to the pros. But there really is no blueprint for the technology space in terms of how can we access the kid at age 12, age 13 and continue to keep them under your wing and garner the resources you have around them to help them get to a professional level.” - Kyle O’Conner, Founder, Startup Nest
Intercultural Unity (ICU) is a unique offering at SCN. Each Summit our ICU Committee creates a session to specifically focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Our ICU team brought us a powerful session on creating change and culture shifts by listening and being intentional. The session was preceded by an article co-authored by Paulo Gregory and Jenny Poon on Curb Cutting. The piece highlights the ripple effect cutting curbs has had on communities. While the solution was originally built to make the sidewalk more accessible for those in wheelchairs, others also benefit. Parents with strollers, workers pushing heavy carts, business travelers with wheeled luggage, and everyone benefits from increased accessibility.
The Curb Cut Effect is a metaphor to show that adaptations designed for one specific, often statistically small group create benefits for the broader community. As we begin to do the work of supporting entrepreneurs in our ecosystems, the Curb Cut Effect should be applied. Is the support we’re providing accessible to everyone? Are we designing for the group of entrepreneurs who traditionally have the least access? If we build resources and programming for specific communities, everyone benefits.
Another great tactical idea came from SAGE. The organization brings in professional grant writers to offer support to people in the community who need guidance writing grants for their business or organization. Grant writing and business loan navigation are crucial right now.
Not so subtle acts of inclusion
During our ICU Case Study panel, ICU committee member Jenny Poon shared how she transformed her coworking space from being 90% white males to being more diverse and reaching a 50/50 gender ratio. This was achieved first by showing up in other spaces and listening and then by making significant and intentional culture shifts. You can read about her specific tactics here.
One of the things she pointed out was the tendency of the media to reach out to communities they know for stories and expert opinions. More often than not, those communities are white. Right now, stories of strength and resilience are as important as stories that show the struggle every small business owner is going through. How are we making sure the voices of ALL entrepreneurs are being heard? How do we help them tell their stories?
The Digital Divide is an important issue
In our Diversity & Equity in Innovation panel, we heard from three ecosystem builders in the San Antonio community leading the charge to help bridge the digital divide. As we all scramble to adjust to a remote work life, the digital divide has been amplified by those it affects. It’s a serious issue we are going to have to solve in order to ensure equity in our ecosystems.
Closing the gaps goes beyond getting the technology in their hands. La Jauna Chambers Lawson of Tacit Growth Strategies reminded us that it’s important to consider addressing “all three legs of the stool.” Having a device, having access to use it, and having the knowledge to be able to use it.
You also have to address the fear and inherent distrust that comes with technology. Many of us come from a place of privilege where privacy rights don’t matter. But they matter for others who don’t have the privilege of not caring about who’s watching you. How do we begin to build trust so that our communities are not left behind in this completely virtual world we’re living in?
The City of San Antonio is tackling digital inclusion by allowing residents and community members to solve access challenges and democratise city services. This GovTech pipeline has brought diverse approaches to the table and helped cultivate a sense of community when it comes to problem solving.
We solved problems by learning how to collaborate and listen
The theme of collaboration played out in many ways during the Summit. On Day 1, we used Human Centered Design to solve civic problems thanks to a process created by The Impact Guild. Each group was given three random resources and a choice of three community problems to solve: voter registration, walkability, and reading proficiency. We brainstormed, partnered, and collaborated to serve up some very creative solutions with very limited resources!
On Day 2, we got a lesson in listening, communicating, and asking the right questions through Bunker Lab’s CEO Circle exercise. That night, we dug into some real work by brainstorming ideas and solutions to take back to our communities to support them during COVID-19.
The ultimate lesson to be learned here is this: when we let our guards down and allow ourselves to collaborate to achieve a common goal, we lift everyone up and we all win. This quote from Charles Wooden about the San Antonio ecosystem is still resonating.
“Our ecosystem is like the San Antonio Spurs. No one person typically rises ahead of another. It’s a team effort. Everybody serves their role within the team in order to make it a winning dynasty. Even competitors seem to find a way to work together here and share successes. We see that play out within our four walls, we see that play out throughout the city limits. When you have companies working together and individuals willing to break down barriers and work to connect them to other successful opportunities it’s really empowering to see.”
The power of togetherness
This is a lesson we take away after every summit but it’s an important one right now. We need Ecosystem Builders now more than ever. As an organization whose mission is to support ecosystem builders, having a room (or Zoom meeting) full of you is powerful. Each and every attendee did work to pull down their walls, get vulnerable, ask hard questions, and offer solutions. As a result, we brainstormed COVID solutions, we helped each other feel heard and empowered, and we experienced physical togetherness right before we were unable to do so.
We want to thank Krista Covey and the team at Velocity TX for putting on a great Summit! We’re also grateful for our other hosts, LaunchSA and Geekdom for providing space and thought leadership.