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

In startup communities, we talk a lot about support, growth, and momentum. We host events, build spaces, and launch initiatives with the best intentions. But there’s a hard truth we need to sit with: we are all part of the system, and that includes its problems. So stop blaming them when it goes south.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of “if only.” If only the local university invested more. If only the city would fund startups. If only that one influential person showed up. But complex systems — like the communities we’re building — don’t change because one change is manifested. They change when we all recognize our influence and responsibility.

We’re not just participants. We’re contributors. We’re complicit in both the successes and the shortcomings. That doesn’t mean we’re bad actors; it just means we’re human. Systems reflect the people within them — our biases, habits, and blind spots.

And here’s the opportunity: once we see the system, we can begin to change it by starting with us.

Start by showing up. Not as a spectator, but as a builder. Make introductions, ask founders what they need, and givefirst. This kind of intentional behavior compounds — it builds trust, it builds networks, it builds momentum.

But even deeper than that, we need to stop outsourcing responsibility for change. The startup community isn’t “them.” It’s us. Every time we excuse ourselves from responsibility or place blame elsewhere, we reinforce the very systems we wish would evolve.

So what’s next?

Start with humility. Acknowledge where you’ve been part of the problem. Then commit to being part of the solution. Because until we embrace that we are both — problem and solution — we’ll stay stuck.

Our communities are complex. There is no playbook, no silver bullet, no perfect leader. But there is power in collective responsibility.

Let’s stop pointing fingers and start linking arms.

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