The Startup City Project

The meaning of place in digital entrepreneurship

What do startup entrepreneurs want from a city, and where do they find it?

With the development of the digital economy, geography and locality for entrepreneurs has taken on a new meaning. At the same time, local governments have been working hard to attract entrepreneurs and startup enterprises to their cities – and more importantly, to prevent local entrepreneurs from moving elsewhere. However, there often is a gap between what entrepreneurs want, and what policymakers are doing to attract them to the startup city.

The Startup City project bridges this gap by showing the unique linkages between entrepreneurship, digitalization and the urban environment. Startup ecosystems have unique combinations of economic, social, and cultural resources that can either enable, or inhibit entrepreneurial activity. Through surveys, interviews and ethnographic work in Europe, the project aims to identify the most integral components of the startup city, and better understand what makes startup ecosystems successful, viable, and sustainable. 

Natalie Novick, Principal Investigator: Natalie is a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology at the University of California, San Diego. Natalie’s research examines how globalization and technological change alter the landscape of early-stage entrepreneurship and innovation worldwide. Natalie's research is funded by the University of California's Frontiers of Innovation Research Program, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), and the Tinker Foundation. Primarily an ethnographer, Natalie has conducted field research in the US, Latin America and across Europe. Prior to her academic research, she has worked extensively with city, state and federal government as a contract lobbyist.

In addition to her academic work, Natalie has served as the research director for the European Startup Initiative, a non-profit organization that works with cities to improve conditions for their startup ecosystems. She was formerly the Research Lead at Tech.eu, and has worked with a number of government agencies across Europe in helping to develop their startup ecosystems. As an academic, all government consulting work is conducted pro-bono.