Seven key factors in startup ecosystem mapping tool assessment

​Startup ecosystems are filled with multiple digital and in-person touchpoints to bring help for entrepreneurs and startups. Behind the scenes, removing obstacles and creating a better startup journey experience within the ecosystem, is the ecosystem mapping app and its capacity to be interoperable with other systems.

It’s through interoperability that startup ecosystems will begin to break down their silos, use open standards to harmonize their fragmented and incompatible systems and data sharing, and achieve better outcomes.

Here's seven aspects that make Startup Commons ecosystem mapping app different to other approaches:

By ccnull.de

1. Ecosystem view: Ecosystem mapping app is based on the startup development phases framework, which brings 360 degree understanding about startups and startup ecosystems (you can't develop what you don't understand). While other solutions simplify ecosystem mapping to startup investments information and therefore focus mainly on outcomes, startup development phases framework understands ecosystems as multidimensional entities, and therefore considers there are independent but connected activities and processes as well as multiple organisations and stakeholders with varying focuses and agendas contributing to outcomes. Ecosystem mapping app essentially searches the different causes for an effect or problem in the ecosystem with the target to match it with existing global best practices and/or new solutions.
2. API-First Approach: There IS NOT going to be one app that’s going to tell your ecosystem health. Startups and entrepreneurs get support from more than one support provider and their entrepreneurial journey information is stored in different IT systems that use different standards, or no standards at all, which means that not all data can be easily linked and connected to provide better individual support services to the entrepreneur and collective support to the ecosystem. Ecosystem mapping app is available with API-First approach, meaning that it is prioritised over the application to be able to talk to other systems, forcing us to create excellent API documentation anyone can use, having a great impact on the developer experience and ensuring the design of the API is always treated as a valuable ecosystem resource so that data can flow seamlessly between different IT systems and across innovation entrepreneurship settings. 
3. Interoperability designed for open collaboration: Other approaches export data from one system and manually load it to another. This doesn't build ecosystem interoperability. We work with you in developing a single set of ecosystem terminology, data format, and exchange standards for a larger and more comprehensive startup journey data set. We also assess and measure how well the existing ecosystem actors are providing digital services for entrepreneurs and startups in order to facilitate seamless sharing of information between ecosystem mapping app and other IT systems
4. Global collaboration with open-source philosophy: We are on the mission of organising world’s innovation and entrepreneurship data within and between startup ecosystems and standards need to be applied at a worldwide level. We believe in the power of community. Ecosystem mapping app can be adapted and evolved by our global alliance members, who are working together towards systematically improving their ecosystem information, ecosystem intelligence, statistical services and forecasting in their progressing efforts in improving ecosystem supporting services and facilitating robust planning and decision making. Each ecosystem may require customised solutions for their specific needs but all of them share the same standardised data model to enable data flow between ecosystems.
5. Addressing data at the source: The single source of truth is in every system where the data is originally generated, preserving the sanctity of the source data. We just put disparate data into a single, shared data structure, highly normalizing and standardising the data. This is very important to keep data sources up to date and its direct impact on the decision-making process. Other approaches market themselves as the single source of truth.
6. Focus on data quality: Machine learning and artificial intelligence can play a key role to enable interoperability. For AI/ML to work, it is needed to have high-quality data sets to train and execute those ML/AI models to eventually increase ​the accuracy of any ecosystem analytics measure.
7. Data belongs to rightful owners: We believe the digital economic development of any city, region or country should be in the hands of local actors, connecting within and between ecosystems, while being properly managed under local rules, and where data is in possession and controlled by its rightful owners. - Not in control by foreign governments or freely monopolized by global "black box" businesses. At least not without a clear mandate to do so. - Just because there may be a lack of awareness, understanding, digital skills, or capacity. We help to build local governance structures that can own and manage ecosystem data.​

Can the startup ecosystem be interoperable? Find out how

Ready to unlock interoperability in your startup ecosystem?

The startup ecosystem interoperability space is unique and it is a long term journey that never stops. Ecosystem operators need a stable technological partner to help them navigate the complexity of ecosystem interoperability. This partner should:

• Advise you regarding both digital and domain knowledge aspects for ecosystem development
• Provide professional consultation and support to help you grow ecosystem as well as offering technology advice
• Demonstrate a history of stability

Take a simple first step with Startup Commons and start finding the answers to your ecosystem challenges.

Schedule a workshop to build your case