GEEmap is a response to a problem
“How do we see all of Geelong’s entrepreneurial ecosystem on a page?”
Led by a consortia of Skilling the Bay, Deakin University – Manufutures, Entrepreneurs Geelong and Enterprise Geelong, GEEmap mapped the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Geelong, and identified gaps and opportunities to drive further maturity.
The project had three distinct phases:
Literature Review
A Literature Review was produced from analysing dozens of research reports on entrepreneurial systems across the world. It synthesised findings and recommended that Geelong’s entrepreneurial ecosystem should be mapped across nine key pillars.
- Accessible Markets – The availability of, and ability to identify, reach and sell to a market or market segment.
- Talent and Skills – The availability of, and ability to attract and retain highly skilled people with the right mindset for entrepreneurial activity.
- Funding – The availability of, and ability to access grants, venture capital, angel investment, seed funding and other forms of capital needed for initiation and growth.
- Networks and Community – The richness and vibrancy of networks and inter-relationships in the entrepreneurial community and the opportunity to meet, interact and build new relationships. This element also concerns the governance of the ecosystem itself.
- Civic – The degree to which government policies, and regulatory frameworks and incentives foster or inhibit the initiation and growth of entrepreneurial activity.
- Support – The availability of, and ability to access legal, financial, real estate, consulting and related services, including mentoring and role models.
- Learning – The availability of, and ability to access entrepreneurial and related education and skills development, technology transfer processes and the quality of the labour force pipeline.
- Regional Culture – The region’s attitude and cultural inclination towards entrepreneurial activity; tolerance for risk and failure; narratives of success that serve to inspire others.
- Facilities – The availability of, and ability to access real estate, infrastructure such as internet and transportation to enable startup and growth. This includes ‘third spaces’ – makerspace, co-working hubs, technology parks etc.
The Literature Review was supported by a series of User Personas and Use Cases, which helped to clarify requirements for the project, and provide traceability.
Survey and analysis
Based on the findings from the Literature Review, a Survey was designed to gain insights into the pillars of the Geelong entrepreneurial ecosystem. Analysis of the Survey provided a number of key recommendations to increase the maturity of the ecosystem.
Entrepreneurial system mapping
The third phase of the project saw a dynamic website developed, providing a number of functions.
- Searching the ecosystem – Based on a mapping exercise, the organisations of the ecosystem were identified, along with the Services they provide, and the Cohorts they provide them to. These were codified into a MySQL database, allowing different users to search for the types of services they need from the ecosystem. You can search the ecosystem here.
- Interactive map – Developed using the d3.js data visualisation library, the interactive map uses data from the database to visualise the organisations in the ecosystem, and the pillars they are linked to. The interactivity of the map allows the user to explore the ecosystem as a whole, or to focus on specific pillars. You can view the interactive map here.
- Geographic map – Developed using Mapbox, the geographic map plots the organisations of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. You can view the geographic map here. You can view the geographic map here.
- Printable map – Developed using a combination of digital design tools, the printable map is designed for people to carry with them – to meetings and discussions, and to enable ecosystem development. You can view the printable map here.
Ongoing follow up and trend analysis
Following on from the ecosystem analysis, the GEEmap tool, and the data it generates, will be used to help nurture the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Geelong.
