Imagine a city buzzing with startup activity. Dozens of new accelerators, pitch nights every week, shiny coworking spaces on every corner. It feels exciting but within two years, most of the programs fade, funding dries up, and the energy disappears. What happened?
The truth is simple but counterintuitive: more is not better deep quality and connectivity matter more than quantity. When startup ecosystems focus on multiplying initiatives instead of strengthening relationships, they become fragile and short-lived.
This pattern repeats across the world. Communities chase numbers number of startups events and incubators believing scale equals success. But lasting innovation grows from depth not volume. It thrives where people trust each other collaborate often and recycle experience through mentoring and shared learning.
This insight comes from Brad Feld and Ian Hathaway’s book The startup community way: Evolving an entrepreneurial ecosystem which explains how startup communities function as complex adaptive systems where progress depends on interaction quality not sheer size. Our [complete summary of The Startup Community Way] breaks down how these networks evolve and what truly sustains them over decades.
The problem in detail
Every ecosystem builder dreams of momentum more founders, more investors, more programs. On the surface it sounds like progress. Yet the more initiatives that appear without connection the more diluted the energy becomes.
The problem lies in mistaking activity for health. When communities chase volume, they create shallow interactions: one-time events transactional partnerships or vanity accelerators that exist for show rather than substance. Entrepreneurs attend but don’t connect deeply. Mentors show up once but never return. Investors sponsor without engagement.
The cost is enormous. Fragmented networks waste resources and burn out participants. Without strong bonds of trust information flows poorly collaboration stalls and startups struggle to scale locally. Communities that grow fast but shallow collapse under their own weight.
For founders and leaders, the personal cost is similar. When you chase too many opportunities or relationships at once you spread yourself thin. You build reach but not roots. Real value comes from fewer stronger ties that create compound learning and support.
The shift from more to better is what separates temporary hype from enduring impact.
The big idea explained
Complex systems thrive on interactions not parts
In The startup community way: Evolving an entrepreneurial ecosystem Feld and Hathaway show that entrepreneurial ecosystems are complex adaptive systems. They work like living organisms , not machines. The system’s strength depends on the interactions among its members , not the number of parts inside it.
Adding more startups; funds; or programs does not guarantee growth because the parts alone don’t create value the relationships between them do. A well-connected community of fifty startups can outperform a disconnected community of five hundred.
Outliers drive impact
The authors emphasize that most value in a startup ecosystem comes from a few outliers companies or individuals who achieve significant success and reinvest their knowledge capital and energy locally. These outliers thrive only in environments rich in connectivity and trust.
When the community focuses on quality relationships, these success stories recycle their experience back into the system. Feld calls this entrepreneurial recycling. It’s what keeps places like Boulder vibrant across generations of founders.
Quality over quantity
To understand why more is not better, deep quality and connectivity matter more than quantity think of a coral reef. Its beauty and diversity come not from the number of fish but from the invisible web of connections that sustain life. When that web weakens everything collapses.
Similarly ; when ecosystems lose focus on relationships , the visible growth hides a hollow core. Programs multiply but impact doesn’t. Communities that prioritize trust and mentorship however build resilience each connection strengthens the whole network.
(For a detailed look at how guiding rather than controlling ecosystems fuels this dynamic, read our feature on guiding startup ecosystems.)
Why this matters
Focusing on quality over quantity changes how you measure success allocate resources and define leadership.
For entrepreneurs, it means building deep partnerships rather than chasing endless networking events. True progress comes from relationships where mutual learning and support flow naturally.
For investors and ecosystem builders it means rethinking metrics. Instead of counting startups launched or funds raised, track the number of meaningful interactions repeat collaborations and mentorship outcomes. Those are the signals of a healthy system.
For institutions and governments it means funding initiatives that connect people rather than simply multiply programs. The goal is not more incubators but stronger bridges between existing ones.
When you embrace this principle your community becomes self-sustaining. Knowledge circulates; failures teach; and successes recycle. Quantity fades but depth endures.
This shift doesn’t just improve your ecosystem it transforms how you lead.
How to apply this
To put more is not better deep quality and connectivity matter more than quantity into practice you need to act with intention.
1. Redefine what growth means
Stop measuring success only by numbers. Focus instead on outcomes that show maturity trust collaboration, and knowledge transfer . Ask: are people working together more effectively than before?
2. Build relationship density
Create settings where entrepreneurs and investors meet repeatedly and organically. Host small peer sessions; founder breakfasts ; or community lunches. Avoid one-time “networking” events that rarely build trust.
3. Amplify super connectors
Identify a few individuals who naturally bridge different parts of your ecosystem. Support them with resources and visibility so their influence expands. They are the backbone of strong networks.
4. Encourage entrepreneurial recycling
Invite successful founders to mentor or invest in early-stage startups. Celebrate their contributions publicly. Make giving back part of the local culture.
5. Align incentives around collaboration
Design programs where multiple organizations share credit for outcomes. Avoid competitive duplication. Collaboration compounds impact ; rivalry fragments it.
6. Focus on consistency over volume
It’s better to host one monthly event that builds trust than ten disconnected ones. Consistency allows relationships to deepen and community norms to form.
(For a full implementation roadmap, see our step-by-step guide to ecosystem connectivity strategies.)
Common mistakes to avoid
- Chasing vanity metrics. Counting startups accelerators or event participants tells you little about real health. Focus on relational metrics instead.
- Building programs in isolation. New initiatives must connect with existing ones. Siloed efforts create friction.
- Ignoring long-term relationships. One-off collaborations fade. Sustainable impact requires ongoing engagement.
- Equating visibility with success. Being active online or in the media doesn’t mean your network is strong. The unseen bonds matter most.
Avoiding these traps keeps your efforts grounded in depth not noise.
Connection to other key ideas
This principle works hand-in-hand with the book’s other core concept guiding rather than controlling startup ecosystems. Together they define a balanced leadership model: don’t try to dominate the system, and don’t drown it in activity. Focus on enabling quality connections and guiding natural growth.
As Feld explains the best communities don’t chase scale ; they nurture trust. To explore how this guiding mindset empowers better leadership visit our deep dive on guiding startup ecosystems for actionable insights.
Both ideas form the foundation of sustainable entrepreneurial ecosystem management they show that less control and more connection build real resilience.
The modern startup world loves numbers: how many unicorns, how much funding, how many events. But the truth behind long-lasting innovation hubs is quieter and deeper. More is not better deep quality and connectivity matter more than quantity.
When you focus on relationships over volume, your ecosystem becomes antifragile. Trust grows, collaboration compounds and success stories feed back into the community.
Whether you’re a founder policymaker or investor remember this: ecosystems don’t scale by addition they scale by connection.
For more insights from The startup community way: Evolving an entrepreneurial ecosystem including actionable lessons and memorable quotes, explore our [complete summary of The Startup Community Way] to connect this big idea with the rest of the book’s framework.
