Culture Change - It Can Be Contagious

Oct 20, 2025
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By Chris Heivly, Managing Director at Build The Fort and Startup Community EIR @ Techstars

Let’s face it — the realization that your startup community needs a better, more supportive culture is both powerful and overwhelming. Yes, two things can be true at the same time. The moment you start tallying the number of players — founders, investors, ecosystem builders, mentors, educators, government types, service providers, you name it — the task starts to feel borderline impossible. “How do I change an entire ecosystem’s culture?” is a question that can make even the most motivated ecosystem builder paralyzed.

But there’s actually an answer. And it is small but so so powerful.

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Culture change isn’t some big switch you flip. It’s not a five-year master plan rolled out in glossy binders. It’s about influence — subtle, persistent, and human.

Start with yourself. Your mindset, your behaviors, your values — these are easily managed. It’s just you. 

In fact, sociologist Nicholas Christakis’ research shows that our behavior influences not just our direct friends, but their friends — and even their friends. That’s three degrees of influence. Your positivity, your generosity, your openness — those ripple.

Now, start to work on your close circle or better yet, create a new circle of actors in the ecosystem that think like you, that understand that culture change is needed. You need no more than 5-8 of these peers to create a big impact.

Now you are cooking with each person “deputized” as a culture influencer. Be intentional about which culture elements you wish to change. Discuss them. Figure out ways to show these elements publicly. Show everyone that this is the new way you all will handle this challenge.

Be consistent. Be bold. Allow everyone to see what you are doing. You can even talk about it from stage, in email newsletters, in 1 on 1 conversations, and on your preferred social media platforms.

This is grassroots influence. Subtle. Relational. Cultural. And it’s powerful. And it’s contagious. And not in the cliché way. I mean, literally contagious. Your behaviors will ripple out three degrees. That's a cultural force change — if you let it.

These actions don’t require budget, strategy decks, or permission. They just require intention.

Remember, ecosystems are complex systems — there’s no instruction manual. No “best practice” you can just copy. You can model behaviors that nudge your community in a better direction.

Yes, culture change is hard. But it’s not insurmountable.

In fact, it’s already happening — every time you make a new founder feel welcome, every time you share your mistakes over coffee, every time you champion someone else’s win.

Change the culture? You already are. Now let’s do it bigger.


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About the Author
Author
Chris Heivly

Chris is one of the nation’s leading experts on launching startups and has been dubbed the “Startup Whisperer.” He co-founded MapQuest, is an angel investor, ran a corporate venture fund and 2 micro venture funds (directed over $75M), and was most recently SVP Innovation with Techstars. Chris just released his new book, The Startup Community Builder’s Field Guide for founders, investors and economic development leaders to better accelerate their ecosystem.