I like this page at Peer to Peer - wonder if there are any networking connections with the speakers at last week's meet-up - Finance & Sustainability: New Directions For The 21st Century - http://www.dadamac.net/event/finance-sustainability-new-directions-21st-century

Building an Economic Ecosystem for New Business Models and Ideas

The Purpose of an Ecosystem

In current finance with for-profit business dominating, there are institutions and structures designed to support the creation, incubation, and growth of for-profit ventures. New ventures are created with money from angel investors or seed financing venture funds. As these ventures mature, they continue to receive investments from venture capital funds and other big institutions like private equity hedge funds. Eventually, many companies go public, raising money in stock markets where ownership slices in these companies are openly traded. Finally, there are many institutions that exist to service growing companies: special banks like Silicon Valley Bank, legal firms like Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich, and Rosatti, etc.

In new countries working to develop an ecosystem, one generally finds that the ecosystem builds from the top down. First there are banks and lawyers. Then there is a public stock market which facilitates the conversion of private wealth for the owners of the largest companies. Next, if the country has sufficient growth and political stability, you might find venture funds loaning money to help successful businesses grow. Then, once a pattern has been established for successful entrepreneurship, you will get a group of former entrepreneurs and management at companies that have grow and debuted on the stock markets who will invest as angels. The presence of angel investors greatly accelerates the pace of innovation and new company creation.

So normally, an ecosystem grows backward from its need. Entrepreneurs need mentoring help and seed funds first. Then venture funds. Then the stock market.

If we want to accelerate the growth and innovation of new business models and ideas, we need to intentionally build a complete ecosystem with all the parts, especially the ones needed by new ventures. We need to help build an ecosystem backwards from its normal pattern.

More at http://p2pfoundation.net/Building_an_Economic_Ecosystem_for_New_Business_Models_and_Ideas