Beyond the Spark: Building Sustainable, Socially-Rich Ecosystems

In this episode of Ecosystem, Scale!, Aaron sits down with Jess Edwards for a conversation that explores how relationships, trust, and lived experience shape the way innovation ecosystems actually function for sustainable ecosystem design.

Jess shares insights from her work across multiple communities, offering a “tour-guide” perspective on how ecosystems evolve, what strong social capital looks like in practice, and why sustainability requires more than programs and new funding cycles. Together, they examine how ecosystems move from connections to structure — and how intentional design can turn momentum into lasting impact.

This conversation is especially relevant for ecosystem builders, funders, and community leaders seeking to better understand how human relationships become the infrastructure that allows innovation to thrive over time.

About the Speaker

Jess Edwards is a project-based innovation ecosystem builder and systems thinker known for her work connecting entrepreneurs to the resources, relationships, and opportunities they need to grow. She has been recognized for her ability to build and leverage relational (social) capital to strengthen entrepreneurial communities and increase ecosystem interconnectedness across the globe.

Connect with her here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwardsja/

Resources:

https://www.jessedwards.com/

https://www.socialcapitalresearch.com/

https://www.socialcapitalresearch.com/?s=entrepreneurship