Case study · Community · Innovation
London, Ontario startup community, resources hub
A London, Ontario ecosystem organisation needed one place where a founder could find a mentor, a programme, a workspace, an event and a grant, instead of seven half-updated PDFs. We built the hub, the directories and the event system around how founders actually search.
The challenge
What we had to solve.
Resources were scattered across the websites of a dozen partner organisations, each with its own login and update cadence.
Founders kept asking the same five questions ('how do I find a co-founder?', 'where are the grants?', 'who runs the next pitch night?') with no easy answers.
The organisation wanted to measure ecosystem activity (founders engaged, programmes joined, events attended) but had no consolidated data.
Our approach
How we tackled it.
We co-designed the hub with founders, programme leads and partner organisations, making sure the information architecture matched the questions founders actually ask, not the org chart.
Partner organisations got their own claimable profiles (programmes, mentors, workspaces, funders) so they update their own data, the hub stays current without a central editor doing it all.
The mentor directory uses filters founders care about (industry, stage, expertise, language) and a confidential request system that protects both sides.
Events were unified into a single calendar with ICS export, RSVP, waitlist and reminder automations, and a partner widget so each org can embed only the events relevant to their audience on their own site.
Deliverables
What we built.
Specific, named outputs, not vague "strategy".
Hub homepageA 'what do you need today?' entry, founders pick the question and land where they need to be, not where org charts say they should.
DirectoriesMentors, programmes, workspaces, funders, each searchable, claimable and partner-maintained.
Events platformCalendar, RSVP, waitlist, reminders, ICS export and embeddable widgets for partner sites.
Resources libraryTemplates, guides, grant playbooks and a search that actually returns what founders ask for.
Measurement layerPrivacy-respecting analytics on founders engaged, programmes joined and events attended, fed to the org's quarterly reporting.
Outcomes
What it returned.
- Single front door for the city's ecosystem, founders, partners and the press now point to one URL instead of seven.
- Partner organisations report they update their own profiles regularly because they own them, drift between the hub and reality stays low.
- Quarterly ecosystem reporting is one click instead of three weeks of asking around, useful for funders, the city, and provincial economic-development bodies.
The takeaway
What we learned.
Ecosystem hubs fail when they try to be the source of truth. They succeed when they become the front door, letting partners own and update their own data, and focusing the central team on the few things only they can do (events, measurement, advocacy).
Services used
How we got it done.
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