MAPPING THE ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM AT TUFTS:

Nadim Choucair
I will take part 2 of this class

How well does the Tufts/Fletcher Alumni Network of Entrepreneurs help current student entrepreneurs be successful in launching their ventures.

My interest in mapping entrepreneurial ecosystems stems from Daniel Isenberg’s question following the recent boom in entrepreneurial activity: “Is there method to this entrepreneurial madness? Are these random events, or can we identify, or even cultivate, the conditions in which value-creating entrepreneurial ventures like these will thrive?”

The question happens to intersect very well with the stated goal of the Tufts Entrepreneurial Network, the organization tasked with enabling entrepreneurship on campus: The Tufts Entrepreneurial Network (TEN) functions as the central hub for the active and expanding entrepreneurial environment at Tufts University. TEN serves as the bridge point for connecting students with educational programs, grants, competitions, student-led organizations, resources, and other enterprises necessary for success in their entrepreneurial pursuits.[1] In choosing this subject, I forgo at this moment the work needed to highlight research linking entrepreneurial success to the entrepreneur’s social network – and I will cover that later as part of my report to support it as an underlying assumption for the rest of the work.

Figure 1 - Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Domains According to Babson

Isenberg, largely recognized as the father of entrepreneurial ecosystems, defines an ecosystem as building on 6 pillars: a conducive culture, enabling policies and leadership, availability of appropriate finance, quality human capital, venture-friendly markets for products, and a range of institutional and infrastructural supports.[2] Several adaptations of this definition exist with varying numbers and classification of pillars and their importance. This will be taken into consideration when adopting the framework for the research. Isenberg’s (Previous) and CITIE foundation’s (below) frameworks are presented here for reference.

Figure 2 - Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Pillars & Roles (citie.org/framework)

Focusing on the Fletcher and Tufts Entrepreneurial Ecosystem, I will first draw a comparison of the several frameworks and cross check the local ecosystem to determine existing and missing pillars or components.

I will then take a first shot at analyzing the social network available to students and student entrepreneurs, by looking broadly at existing organizations at Tufts (Associations, student clubs, funds, competitions, etc…) as well as individual actors (students, professors and other players), be it leaders in these organizations or other influential individuals.

For the purpose of this project, I will primarily focus on Tufts & Fletcher’s Alumni Network. This will be the first step towards benchmarking Tufts & Fletcher’s entrepreneurial ecosystem against other educational institutions in the Boston area, and will hopefully allow us to get a measure of how Tufts/Fletcher is positioned within the larger Boston Ecosystem.


Datea sources range from:

• The Tufts Entrepreneurial Alumni Network
• Office of Alumni Relations
• Linked In 
• Surveys to key ecosystem players (Professors, student leaders, directors, etc…)
• Crunchbase : Example https://www.crunchbase.com/person/robert-manning#/entity

A quick look at MIT gives an idea of what sort of indicators to look at and will help with narrowing down the research question into subgroups of actors to analyze.

MIT ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM	TUFTS ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM
Twelve developmental centers, including the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship mentors who help budding entrepreneurs with everything from business plans to product development (http://entrepreneurship.mit.edu/) and the Venture Mentoring Service (VMS), a group of more than 100 volunteer	___
Entrepreneurial Coursework: More than 30 entrepreneurship courses, such as the Entrepreneurship Labs (ELabs) and the MIT Sloan Entrepreneurship & Innovation (E&I) Track	___
Studentrun organizations, such as the MIT $100K Business Plan Competition and the Venture Capital Private Equity (VCPE) Club	___
Events and networking opportunities, including the Entrepreneur Bash and the Bio Bash	___
Alumni organized structures, such as the MIT Enterprise Forum (http://www.mitef.org/s/1314/main.aspx?gid=5&pgid=61), with chapters worldwide	___
Entrepreneurial Coursework	___

Table 1 - MIT's Entrepreneurial Ecosystem as a reference - Data from MIT's website

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Publications:

Motoyama, Konczal, Bell-Masterson, Morelix. (April 2004) – Kauffman Foundation. Think Locally, Act Locally: Building a Robust Entrepreneurial Ecosystem -

McQuaid, R.W. (1996) Social Networks, Entrepreneurship and Regional Development.

Isenberg (2013). Worthless, Impossible, and Stupid: How Contrarian Entrepreneurs Create and Capture Extraordinary Value

Online:

Isenberg, Daniel D. "Introducing the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem: Four Defining Characteristics." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 25 May 2011. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.

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[1] http://www.tufts-ten.com/

[2] http://onforb.es/n5VU2k