Recorded live from the Technical.ly Builders Conference in Philadelphia, this bonus episode of Ecosystem, Scale! explores an increasingly important layer of startup community infrastructure:

Narrative.

Joined by Chris Wink, cofounder and CEO of Technical.ly, Aaron Taylor examines how storytelling, media, and ecosystem identity shape the trajectory of startup communities.

Throughout the conversation, Chris argues that startup communities are not simply built through programs, capital, or institutions alone — but through the ongoing process of helping communities understand themselves and communicate that identity outward.

Together, they explore how startup communities often generate significant activity without developing the shared narrative needed to make that momentum legible to founders, institutions, and capital. Using Philadelphia as a case study, the conversation examines storytelling as a form of ecosystem infrastructure — one shaped through media, openness, founder density, and ongoing community participation rather than centralized control. The episode also unpacks the tensions between traditional economic development and ecosystem-building, why this work still struggles for institutional legitimacy, and why startup communities ultimately operate as an “infinite game” requiring continuous coordination, visibility, and reinvention.

About the Speaker

Chris Wink is the cofounder and CEO of Technical.ly, a media organization focused on connecting and strengthening startup and technology communities through journalism, events, and ecosystem storytelling. For nearly two decades, Technical.ly has examined how entrepreneurial ecosystems emerge, evolve, and communicate their identity across regions.

Connect with him here: https://www.christopherwink.com/; linkedin.com/in/christopherwink

Resources:

https://technical.ly/