ESHIP Alliance
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersOakland, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
ESHIP Alliance firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ESHIP Alliance
- Legal name
- ESHIP Alliance
- Website
- https://eship.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ESHIP Alliance industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Building Services
- NAICS
- Business Associations (813910), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Student Organizations & Club Administration (EDALAHAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Partner, Channel & Alliance Summits (THAHAMAC)
Keywords
Where ESHIP Alliance is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Oakland
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
ESHIP Alliance business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Grant Funding: As a nonprofit organization and a fiscally-sponsored project of Community Initiatives (a California-based 501(c)(3)), ESHIP Alliance relies on donations and grant funding to operate. The organization is currently raising growth funding.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
ESHIP Alliance product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ESHIP Alliance is a national nonprofit field catalyst that supports the entrepreneurial ecosystem-building profession through three primary offerings: the ESHIP Commons online community platform (a gated Mighty Networks community for ecosystem builders and National Resource Providers), the ESHIP Accelerator learning program for practitioner development, and collaborative Field Building Projects executed with partner organizations. The organization focuses on advancing ecosystem building as a recognized professional practice rather than on selling commercial products or services.
Product overview
ESHIP Alliance is a field catalyst and community network organization (not a software product company) that offers a portfolio of programs to advance entrepreneurial ecosystem building as a professional practice. The core offerings include ESHIP Commons (a digital and in-person community platform on Mighty Networks for connectivity and collaboration), ESHIP Accelerator (a field-building lab that advances projects aligned with ESHIP Goals), and Field Building Projects (collaborative initiatives that strengthen ecosystem building practice nationwide). The organization also conducts a Leadership Council governance structure, virtual speaker series, and periodic convenings to serve the field.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ESHIP Commons: Digital and in-person community platform for ecosystem building practitioners
- ESHIP Accelerator
Products and services
- ESHIP Commons ESHIP Commons is a gated online community platform built on Mighty Networks that connects entrepreneurial ecosystem builders, National Resource Providers, funders, and policymakers, providing a shared space for member-only engagement and field-building resources.
- ESHIP Accelerator The ESHIP Accelerator is a learning program for ecosystem-building practitioners that supports their professional development and capacity to advance entrepreneurial ecosystems.
- Field Building Projects Field Building Projects are collaborative engagements executed with National Resource Providers and other partners to advance shared ecosystem-building work.
Companies that use ESHIP Alliance
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ESHIP Alliance technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
ESHIP Alliance partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Community InitiativescoreCommunity Initiatives is a California-based 501(c)(3) organization that serves as ESHIP Alliance's fiscal sponsor. ESHIP Alliance is a fiscally-sponsored project of Community Initiatives, which provides nonprofit administrative infrastructure.
- International Business Innovation Association (InBIA)coreInBIA hosted the Ecosystem Building Leadership Project (EBLP) which co-created the blueprint for ESHIP Alliance. Ongoing collaboration includes joint pre-conference workshops, co-branded events, and shared leadership across governance structures.
- InBIAcoreCo-hosted pre-conference Ecosystem Building Workshop alongside Main Street America and five other national ecosystem building resource providers at ICBI39 in Philadelphia.
- Main Street AmericacoreCo-hosted pre-conference Ecosystem Building Workshop alongside InBIA and five other national ecosystem building resource providers at the Main Street Now Conference in Philadelphia.
- Entrepreneurship Funders Network (EFN)coreNetwork of 50+ philanthropic funders supporting entrepreneurship and equitable entrepreneurial ecosystems. EFN began forming in 2016 and became a nonprofit in 2021, united in supporting the ecosystem building field.
- Startup Champions Network (SCN)coreDescribed as 'the first professional association for full-time ecosystem builders.' Co-founded in 2014, SCN has grown to hold summits with nearly 200 attendees representing nearly every state.
- International Economic Development Council (IEDC)corePrimary certifying body for economic developers. IEDC launched a first-of-its-kind entrepreneurship and ecosystem building certification, and hosted an entrepreneurship/ecosystem building track at its annual conference for the first time in its 100-year history.
- SourceLinkcoreNational resource provider supporting ecosystem building practitioners with programs and resources.
- Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN)coreGlobal network organizing the Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC), the world's largest gathering of ecosystem builders. ESHIP Alliance co-hosted events at GEC 2025 in Indianapolis.
- Forward CitiesminorNational resource provider advancing entrepreneurial ecosystems.
- SSTI (State Science Technology Institute)minorNational resource provider connecting government, industry, and academia across local and national levels.
- NACCE (National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship)minorNational resource provider supporting entrepreneurship at community colleges.
- National League of CitiesminorNational organization supporting municipal leaders in economic development including entrepreneurship.
- National Main Street CenterminorOrganization supporting main street economic development and small business ecosystems.
- Black Innovation Alliance (BIA)minorNational organization supporting Black entrepreneurs and innovation ecosystems.
- National Angel Capital Association (ACA)minorOrganization supporting angel investors and the startup funding ecosystem.
- VentureWellminorNational resource provider focused on STEM entrepreneurship in higher education.
- Network KansasminorRegional resource provider supporting entrepreneurial ecosystems in Kansas.
- NSF Builder PlatformminorNational Science Foundation initiative supporting ecosystem builders.
- Make StartupsminorRegional ecosystem building organization.
- Orange Sparkle BallminorBranding agency that partnered with ESHIP Alliance to develop the new organizational name and brand identity when transitioning from EBLN to ESHIP Alliance.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
ESHIP Alliance competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- International Business Innovation Association (InBIA): InBIA is the leading global member association for entrepreneurship support organizations and hosted the Ecosystem Building Leadership Project that co-created ESHIP Alliance. It is a direct peer serving overlapping ecosystem builder constituencies with similar member-driven, nonprofit association model.
- Forward Cities: Forward Cities is a national resource provider advancing entrepreneurial ecosystems. Its former President & CEO (Fay Horwitt) is now ESHIP Alliance's Field Builder-in-Residence, indicating close operational and leadership overlap.
- Entrepreneurship Funders Network (EFN): EFN is a network of 50+ philanthropic funders supporting entrepreneurship and equitable entrepreneurial ecosystems. It serves overlapping constituents (funders and ecosystem builders) and is one of ESHIP Alliance's core strategic partners with co-convening and shared governance.
- Startup Champions Network (SCN): SCN is described as 'the first professional association for full-time ecosystem builders' and is led by Kristin Leutz (former SCN Executive Director now on ESHIP's Leadership Council). SCN and ESHIP Alliance share the same primary persona (full-time ecosystem builders) and overlapping convening function.
- Main Street America: Main Street America runs the Main Street Now conference and programs supporting small business ecosystems, with a national resource provider partnership with ESHIP Alliance. Its 'Director of Entrepreneur & Small Business Support' (Gustavo Ustariz) sits on ESHIP's Leadership Council.
- SourceLink: SourceLink is a national resource provider supporting ecosystem building practitioners with programs, tools, and resources — a core NRP that ESHIP Alliance explicitly lists as a partner and peers with in the entrepreneurial ecosystem support stack.
Broad incumbents
- Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN): GEN operates the Global Entrepreneurship Congress and a worldwide network of ecosystem builders. It is a broader, more globally scaled peer that ESHIP Alliance co-hosts events with (GEC 2025) and whose mission significantly overlaps with US-focused ecosystem building work.
- International Economic Development Council (IEDC): IEDC is the primary certifying body for economic developers and launched a first-of-its-kind ecosystem building certification. It is a broader incumbent serving economic developers who increasingly overlap with ecosystem builders — ESHIP Alliance's target constituency.
Others
- Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation: Kauffman Foundation is the foundational catalyst and former anchor funder of ESHIP Alliance, having hosted the ESHIP Summits and funded the EBLP. While not a direct competitor, it is the institution whose priorities most directly shaped ESHIP Alliance's mission and approach.
Regional players
- VentureWell: VentureWell is a national resource provider focused on STEM entrepreneurship in higher education. It is a niche/segment peer in the same broader ecosystem-building field with overlapping practitioner constituencies, though focused on university-based entrepreneurship rather than community ecosystem building.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ESHIP Alliance social profiles
Digital presenceESHIP Alliance financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ESHIP Alliance leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
ESHIP Alliance funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ESHIP Alliance M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ESHIP Alliance
What does ESHIP Alliance do?
ESHIP Alliance is a national nonprofit field catalyst that supports the entrepreneurial ecosystem-building profession through three primary offerings: the ESHIP Commons online community platform (a gated Mighty Networks community for ecosystem builders and National Resource Providers), the ESHIP Accelerator learning program for practitioner development, and collaborative Field Building Projects executed with partner organizations. The organization focuses on advancing ecosystem building as a recognized professional practice rather than on selling commercial products or services.
Is ESHIP Alliance a public or private company?
ESHIP Alliance is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was ESHIP Alliance founded?
ESHIP Alliance was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is ESHIP Alliance based?
ESHIP Alliance is headquartered in Oakland, United States, in the North America region.
How does ESHIP Alliance make money?
One revenue line is on record: donations and Grant Funding.
Who are ESHIP Alliance's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are International Business Innovation Association (InBIA), Forward Cities, Entrepreneurship Funders Network (EFN), Startup Champions Network (SCN), Main Street America and SourceLink. Broad incumbents are Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) and International Economic Development Council (IEDC). Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is listed as an others. VentureWell is listed as a regional player.
Does ESHIP Alliance have an API?
No public API is recorded for ESHIP Alliance.
What industry is ESHIP Alliance in?
ESHIP Alliance's product category is Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Building Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDALAHAB, Student Organizations & Club Administration, with a secondary code of THAHAMAC, Partner, Channel & Alliance Summits. Its NAICS code is 813910 and its SIC code is 8600.