In this episode of Ecosystem, Scale!, Aaron Taylor sits down with Chris Heivly — Managing Director of Build the Fort, co-founder of MapQuest, former Techstars Exec, investor and startup community-builder — to break down what it really takes to lead a founder-first startup ecosystem.

Chris argues that thriving innovation communities aren’t built through hierarchy, big budgets, or recycled playbooks from Silicon Valley — they’re built through trust, connection, and relentless service to founders. He shares how ecosystem builders can earn credibility, avoid the trap of copying other cities, and focus on the simple, repeatable actions that grow real startup momentum.

This conversation is a masterclass in ecosystem leadership mindset — practical, honest, and rooted in decades of experience.

🔗 Learn More

Explore Chris’s work, books, and thought leadership at https://heivly.com — a must-follow resource for anyone serious about startup community building.

In this episode, Aaron sits down with Charlton Cunningham, an Atlanta-based ecosystem builder and current Ecosystem Navigator for the Continuum project, to explore the evolution of startup community building. Charlton shares their journey from architecture graduate to ecosystem leader, highlighting how trust, people-first programming, and authentic storytelling are reshaping how communities support founders.

Together, they unpack the undervalued work of relationship-building, the consequences of not putting founders first, and why ecosystem builders must balance quantitative metrics with qualitative stories to truly measure impact. Charlton also offers hard-won lessons on programming rooted in community listening and love of place.

Listeners will come away with a deeper understanding of why ecosystems “move at the speed of trust,” how to build equitable and founder-first support structures, and what it takes to sustain entrepreneurship in emerging communities over the long term.

About the Speaker

Charlton Cunningham is an ecosystem builder based in Atlanta, GA. They currently serve as Ecosystem Navigator for the Continuum project, which supports ocean tech entrepreneurs, and have played pivotal roles at Startup Atlanta and HiveATL. Charlton is also an active voice in national ecosystem building networks, helping shape the profession’s future through organizations like the ESHIP Alliance.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/charltonc/

https://www.charltoncunningham.com/

Summary

In this episode, Aaron Taylor welcomes Kevin Carter, Director of Ecosystem Success at EcoMap Technologies, to explore how mapping drives more competitive and scalable ecosystems. Kevin shares the story of EcoMap’s late founder, Pava LaPere, and her vision to make entrepreneurial resources more discoverable. Together, Aaron and Kevin dive into the distinctions between startup communities and innovation ecosystems, highlight the five core stakeholders every ecosystem depends on, and discuss how shared mapping tools create the infrastructure for collaboration, momentum, and impact.

Key Topics & Highlights

Origins of EcoMap Technologies EcoMap was founded by Pava LaPere while a student at Johns Hopkins University. Frustrated by the lack of support for student entrepreneurs, she first created a student-run incubator and later built an Airtable map of the Baltimore tech ecosystem. That grassroots project evolved into EcoMap Technologies, now a leading platform for mapping startup and innovation ecosystems.

Defining the Ecosystem Kevin Carter explains the difference between a startup community (focused on founders and their immediate support needs) and the broader innovation ecosystem (which includes research institutions, support organizations, higher ed, and tech transfer). EcoMap’s tools help communities define and categorize resources in ways that align with their own local language and priorities.

Ecosystem Mapping & Infrastructure Ecosystem mapping is about understanding the assets—organizations, resources, and events—that make up a community. Kevin stresses that mapping isn’t the only way to engage, but it’s a critical tool for making information accessible, current, and trusted. EcoMap doesn’t map individuals, but rather the organizations and resources that form the ecosystem’s infrastructure.

The Five Core Stakeholders Every startup community relies on five stakeholder groups:

• Founders
• Entrepreneurial support professionals
• Investors (angels & VCs)
• Service providers (legal, accounting, marketing, etc.)
• Startup employees

Together, they create the value flows that keep communities alive.

Resources

linkedin.com/in/kevin-carter-594571a5

https://ecomap.tech/solutions/ecosystem-relationship-manager/