Great Ecosystems Feel Accessible

One of the ideas that stayed with me from San Francisco came from Harpriya Bagri, founder of Hotbox, during a panel discussion. She challenged the assumption that founders need to be in one of the “right” ecosystems to build something meaningful, and offered a different way of thinking about it: you can create ecosystems around yourself too.

I loved that framing because it feels both generous and practical. Silicon Valley has density, capital, experience, and a level of founder fluency that’s hard to replicate. Those things matter a lot. There’s a reason people move there, travel there, build relationships there, and keep touchpoints there. Being in those rooms can stretch your thinking very quickly.

What surprised me most was how accessible it felt. For a place associated with billions of dollars, world-famous companies, and some of the most ambitious builders in the world, San Francisco felt remarkably human. People were curious, open, and willing to talk. Conversations started easily. Introductions felt natural. The whole environment had this fascinating mix of intensity and warmth that I wasn’t fully expecting.

That accessibility is key because ecosystems only work when people can actually enter them. A place can have brilliant people, strong capital, impressive companies, and deep expertise, but if the doors feel closed to newcomers, the ecosystem becomes much less useful to anyone still trying to find their way in. And honestly, it's less useful to those already inside too, because it limits growth and diversity.

This is where I think smaller communities have more power than they sometimes realise. A founder in Saskatoon, Halifax, Lunenburg, or a town of 50,000 people can be every bit as innovative as someone in a city of millions. The connections may be fewer, and the density may be different, but access can be much easier. People know each other. Doors can open faster. A warm introduction can actually lead somewhere, and sometimes a lot more quickly.

The opportunity isn’t to pretend every community can become Silicon Valley. That would be a strange use of everyone’s time, and frankly, a little exhausting. The opportunity is to build stronger local ecosystems that stay connected to larger ones. Learn from them. Contribute to them. Build relationships within them. Then bring ideas, perspective, and momentum home.

I left San Francisco with a deeper appreciation for what great ecosystems can do when they’re both ambitious and accessible. They don’t just concentrate opportunity. They help people find their way into it.

And that’s something every community can learn from. 🌉🤝

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Yours in tourism, innovation and startups,

Founder and CEO, Roamlii