Category: Ecosystem Edge

Entrepreneurship is often framed as a solo pursuit—visionary leaders, bold risks, and long hours spent building something from nothing. But beneath every sustainable business is something less often talked about and just as critical: community.

To have a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem, we need talent, density, culture, capital, and a supportive regulatory environment. These depend on people to activate it, and the Call Forward in 2025 came out of an energizing day with inspiring ideas.

When my co-founders and I started Phaidra at the end of 2019, we looked at a map and, like typical engineers, built a matrix to determine where to live.  Our criteria included tax rates, talent availability, proximity to customers and venture capital, the strength of the startup ecosystem, and affordability.

Growth in Kitsap’s entrepreneurial ecosystem doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of intentional connections, shared vision, and the courage to keep innovating when the path feels uncertain.

Everywhere I look in Kitsap right now, I see sparks. I see them in the eyes of a first-time founder refining her wireframes late into the night, and in conversations between seasoned business owners sharing insights over coffee. I see them on white board walls at Vibe Coworks, in underwater test environments with Navy Lab…