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

We all love metrics. They make us feel smart. They give us focus. They fit in spreadsheets. They look good in presentations. And most importantly, they make our funders feel like they have some control. But here’s the thing: when it comes to measuring the work of Entrepreneurial Support Organizations (ESOs), the wrong metrics can send you down the wrong path — and worse, they can screw up the very outcomes you are trying to improve.

I’ve spent the better part of the last decade hanging out with startup community builders all over the world — from grassroots volunteers to government-led ecosystem architects. And what I keep seeing, over and over again, is this dangerous love affair with the wrong metrics.

And, we all know it. We gotta fix that. 

Not a week goes by that I have this conversation with one of you about metrics.

If you’re in the ESO game, your job isn’t to run more pitch nights or open more coworking spaces (though those are all important). Your job is to make sure entrepreneurs have what they need to start and grow companies — and to build a healthy community that supports those founders every step of the way.

That means you need metrics that give visibility to founder behaviors, actions and outcomes.

What are some metrics that actually matter?

1. Founder-Centered metrics

• # of Active Founders You Met With This Week: If you’re not in direct contact with the people you serve, you’re not doing the job.

• Founder NPS: Would founders recommend this community to another founder? If not, why?

• % of Support Programs Actually Used by Founders: Build it and they will come? Maybe. But track if they’re using what you built — and why or why not.

2. Community-Building metrics

• # of Intros Made Between Unconnected People: This is one of the best signals of a healthy, engaged network. Shared networks matter.

• Influencer Accessibility: Are the seasoned founders, investors, and mentors showing up — and are they easily accessible?

• Event Participation by Role: If it’s just ESOs talking to other ESOs, you’ve got a problem.

3. Does This Place Represent & Inspire metrics

• % of Events/Programs Led & Attended by Underrepresented Groups: Inclusion is proactive. If you’re not measuring it, you’re not doing it.

• % of New Entrepreneurs Each Year: Are you growing the pie or just serving the same slices?

These aren't perfect but you should get a sense of the things that are important to measure - regardless of how hard they might be.

What are some metrics that I think will backfire?

• Capital Deployed: It sounds impressive — "$10M invested this month!" — but it doesn’t tell you who got funded, what stage they’re in, or if that money’s making the community stronger. Like I share in my book, give me an incentive to hit that $10M number, and I will focus on 1 or 2 mature companies where I can see a $10M investment vs organizing $1M deployed over 10 companies.  Which one is better for the long term impact to the community?

• Jobs Created: Classic economic development metric that often favors later-stage, less scrappy startups. Don’t confuse scale with community vitality. Remember that Instagram sold to Meta for over $1B and had around 13 employees.

• # of Events Run: Activity ≠ impact. A full calendar doesn’t mean founders are getting what they need. This is a community addiction that is difficult to break.

So, here are a few ground rules for Smart Measurement:

1. Use numbers to level set where you are and then to ask better questions, not claim victory — Remember this is about startups, not your organization. Right?

2. Collect stories in addition to the numbers — A founder’s journey (and its many twists and turns) gives you and the community context that a bar chart can’t.

3. Don’t Drown in Data — Track what informs action, and let go of the rest.

4. Incent Behavior, Not Just Outcomes — Like intros made, resources shared, or vulnerable leadership moments.

If you’re building a startup community, you’re not running a company, a school, or a government office. You’re doing something messier and more important — creating the conditions where brave people can take wild shots at building something from nothing.

That means playing the long game.

So yeah, measure stuff. But don’t let the metrics become the mission.

Keep it simple. Keep it human. And keep founders at the center.

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