2027 Spring SCN Ecosystem Builder Summit
May 11-14, 2027 | Louisville, Kentucky
Tickets | accomodations
Theme
Ecosystem Building Distilled
There is no single recipe for Ecosystem Building, and it doesn't happen in isolation. Whether you steward a bustling metro hub, a manufacturing town, or a rural community, we are all grappling with the same fundamental question: How do we blend diverse funding, regional partnerships, and grassroots energy into a sustainable, resilient ecosystem?
At the Spring 2027 SCN Summit, you won't just study Louisville—you will step inside a masterclass on regional ecosystem blending. From urban downtowns to rural hollows across state lines, you’ll discover how different communities collaborate across geographic, cultural, and political boundaries to unlock capital, share resources, and build lasting impact.
What to Expect from Ecosystem Building Distilled
In Kentucky and the surrounding region, we know that cultivating a thriving entrepreneurial landscape is much like crafting a fine bourbon—it is ecosystem building distilled.
The Mash Bill (Diverse Ingredients): A great ecosystem requires a precise mix of ingredients. We bring together urban metros, rural hubs, corporate giants, state innovation networks, and grassroots founder-led efforts.
The Maturation Process (Patience & Trust): Real systems change takes time and moves at the speed of trust. We celebrate both long-term legacy programs and immediate wins.
The Angel’s Share (Transitions & Spread): When talent, founders, or companies transition beyond our borders, we don't view it as a loss. It is the natural evaporation that spreads our collective influence outward, concentrating the strength of the community left behind.
The Blending (Regional Collaboration): The magic happens when disparate barrels come together. We showcase how Louisville blends insights with our partners in Southern Indiana across the Ohio River, Northern Kentucky along the Cincinnati border, and Kentucky’s statewide Innovation Hubs—including SOAR in Appalachia, SPROCKETS in Paducah, and CREATE in Bowling Green.
What You’ll Gain by Attending
Practical Models for Every Ecosystem Type: Whether you represent a large metro, a mid-sized suburb, or a rural county, you will walk away with adaptable frameworks for asset mapping, state policy alignment, and cross-regional funding models.
Honest, Pitch-Free Problem Solving: SCN Summits strictly eliminate sales pitches and performative success. You'll get real talk about failures, regional friction, and navigating complex corporate-state-grassroots dynamics.
A Guild of Lifelong Peers: Connect with top practitioners from across the nation through intimate, small-group interactions where you can ask hard questions, share burdens, and find your professional family.
The 2.5-Day Experience
Pre-Summit Welcome Gathering: Connect early over local hospitality, food, and regional spirits.
SCN Basecamp: An intentional orientation for first-time attendees to get grounded and build early connections.
Introduction to the Regional Ecosystem: Discover how Kentucky and Southern Indiana orchestrate multi-county, urban-rural innovation networks.
InterCultural Unity (ICU): SCN’s signature session taking a clear-eyed look at ecosystem culture, grounding our collective work in respect, transparency, reciprocity, and trust.
Ecosystem Adventures ("Get Out of the Building"): Immersive, hands-on tours through local coworking hubs, logistics corridors, healthcare innovation pods, and creative maker spaces.
Dinner with Locals: Small, intimate group dinners hosted across the city with native entrepreneurs, regional builders, and local leaders.
Roses & Thorns: SCN’s core trust-building ritual—a safe, vulnerable space to share the real struggles, hopes, and triumphs of our day-to-day work.
Final Reflections & Action Commitments: Translate regional insights into concrete, actionable steps to execute in your home ecosystem.
Travel & Accommodations
Airport: Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) – ~10–15 minutes from downtown.
Rides & Rooms: We’re working with local hotels to secure a room block and will update this page soon with more information. We'll also provide a shared carpool and room-sharing spreadsheet upon registration.
Startup Champions Network (SCN) Summits
SCN Summits are unique in that we focus on the people and culture part of ecosystem building. Our agenda focuses on peer to peer learning with seasoned ecosystem builders focused on storytelling, sharing experiences, and mentoring.
Summits are a partnership with the member host with a lens on their community to showcase what the work looks like, celebrate its wins, and discuss the challenges. Unlike traditional conferences and events where the location is chosen based on tourism hype and destination, our Summit locations are chosen based on local ecosystem stakeholder engagement and dedication to the culture of SCN.
These 2-3 day intimate gatherings bring together the nation's top ecosystem builders and national ecosystem support organizations to convene conversations, gain insight from real-world case studies, and explore and experience new communities. Summits address topics most relevant to and of interest to members, such as inclusive entrepreneurship, fostering collaboration, engaging and empowering under-represented populations, and more.
We get out of the building. Explore the ecosystem, meet entrepreneurs, and see the work firsthand.
Vulnerable practice over performative success. We make space for real talk — failures, systemic challenges, and lessons learned.
Engaging, collaborative sessions. Unconferences, lightning talks, and collective problem-solving — not passive listening.
Equity, inclusion, and belonging. We build ecosystems where no one is left out, choosing belonging over performative inclusion.
We dig deep. Experiences designed to build real relationships and spark meaningful conversations.
Pitch-free content. This is a space for sharing best practices, learning, and connecting — not self-promotion.
SCN Host Member
Austin Lopesilvero
Austin Lopesilvero is a founder and grassroots ecosystem builder who has spent his career supporting entrepreneurs. He has helped lead, organized, and facilitated more than thirty Startup Weekend events, and has supported founders across multiple startup ecosystems, including Louisville, Kentucky, and the Triangle region of North Carolina. His background includes organizing programs like Startup Grind, Founder Beers, and Startup Week, as well as serving as a startup mentor with organizations such as Amplify, echo, and Love City. He also launched a social impact incubator to support entrepreneurs. Austin is a founder himself, going on five years leading Aspen Studios, a marketing agency that is now shifting toward helping companies grow with AI tools, agents, and strategy.
Tickets
*Please note that you must purchase each ticket individually, so we can properly collect all attendee data per ticket. Not a member and want to save on your summit ticket? Join here first.
Travel & Accomodations
Lodging
Hotels in the area: Quirk Hotel, The Graduate, and Richmond Marriott
Airbnbs: There are lots of Airbnbs in Jackson Ward, Monroe Ward, and surrounding areas. Here are two owned and run by a Jackson Ward neighbor:
Historic Home in Jackson Ward (1 bedroom, 1.5 baths)
The Secret Garden (2 bedrooms, 4 beds, 1.5 baths)
Getting to Louisville
By plane: Richmond International Airport (RIC) is an easy 15 minute drive from Jackson Ward!
By train: Amtrak runs through Richmond. Hop off at the Main St. Station downtown or Staples Mill (10 minutes from downtown).
By bus: Greyhound has a station in Richmond, and there are other smaller bus companies that operate here.
Rides & Rooms Spreadsheet
Every Summit, we create a spreadsheet for attendees to coordinate rides and room sharing. If you're looking to share a hotel room or airbnb with a large group, this is a great place to start. If you want to carpool from the airport or hope some kind soul will give you a ride, this is the place to do it! While we don't link this spreadsheet to the public website, it is sent via email upon summit registration.
