How much can an economic development group really impact the entrepreneurial culture of a community?  Quite a bit if you are Doug Erwin, Senior Vice Present of Entrepreneurial Development at EDAWN, the economic development authority based in Reno, NV.

Doug, a serial entrepreneur himself, has built a department with core values focused on putting the success of the start-up as the number one priority- even if that means losing the company from the community altogether.

In this episode, Jason does a deep dive with Doug on program design, assembling a robust mentoring team, and building a thriving ecosystem for start-ups.

Quotable moment: "Be paranoid over whether or not you are relevant"

http://www.renostartupdeck.com

Mentioned Books:

Startup Communities: Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City by Brad Fields

The Rainforest: The Secret to Building the Next Silicon Valley by Greg Horowitt and Victor Hwang