Finding Gaps, Building Bridges: Start Midwest and my Perspective on our Ecosystems

This is my first piece for Start Midwest, and I want to start by introducing myself through the lens that shaped how I see the ecosystem we’re all trying to grow.

I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I spent much of my early life finding ways to create and build, often from scratch. But when I entered Indiana University, I had doubts about entrepreneurship as something that could be taught. I wasn’t sure there was a real science behind it, and I was skeptical that a mindset driven by instinct and experimentation could be structured in a classroom.

What changed wasn’t a perfectly laid plan. It was access. I found programs, mentors, and peers who pulled me into a community where building was encouraged and mistakes were treated as part of the process. For the first time, I had structure. I had language. I had people who knew how to take an idea and run with it. I started learning by doing, and suddenly, entrepreneurship didn’t feel so abstract.

After graduation, I stayed in Bloomington, Indiana through the summer as part of a student-focused startup program, which helped extend the sense of structure and support. But once that ended, the scaffolding that had made everything feel connected started to fall away. What once felt like a well-marked path began to blur. Losing that structure left me unsure of where to go or how to stay involved.

The more I searched, the more I realized how common this feeling was. Friends from other Indiana and Midwest universities had similar stories. There was no shortage of talent or ambition, just a missing path forward. We were trained to think entrepreneurially, but many of us weren’t shown how to stay plugged in to the ecosystem that first gave us that opportunity.

And it wasn’t just students. As I started talking to experienced founders, investors, and community leaders across the Midwest, I heard a recurring theme. The ecosystem has strong individual pieces, but often lacks the connective tissue that makes those pieces move as one. We’re doing great work, but sometimes in isolation.

To be clear, I don’t think the ecosystem is broken. I think it is under-connected. And that is not a critique. It is an opportunity. The people leading programs, backing founders, and building communities care deeply about this work, and their generosity shows. I’ve seen it firsthand, and I know how much it matters.

For me, that journey started with a simple question: how do I stay involved?

That led me to launch Heartland Valley, a platform that maps and highlights startups, investors, and ecosystem builders across the Midwest. It started as a way to stay connected after graduation, but quickly grew into something bigger. I began interviewing founders, publishing features, and building a living map of the region’s innovation economy. I didn’t have a title or a network. I created both by showing up and trying to add value.

Through that work, I found my place. I began attending events, meeting founders and resource partners, and learning how the state’s infrastructure supports entrepreneurship in ways I hadn’t yet understood. I began plugging myself in, not just through a side project, but through conversations, research, and hands-on involvement.

Today, I serve as the Entrepreneur Ecosystem Navigator for the Indiana Small Business Development Center, based at Butler University’s Lacy School of Business. In this role, I work across Central Indiana to help entrepreneurs access resources, build relationships, and move their ideas forward. I have the privilege of working within the system while continuing to explore how to strengthen it from the outside as well.

The reason I’m excited to contribute to Start Midwest is because I know there are more people like me. People who want to build here, who believe in the potential of this region, and who need a better way in. If the Midwest is going to become a globally recognized hub for innovation, it won’t be because we replicate the coasts. It will be because we double down on what makes us different: collaboration over competition, shared wins over siloed success, and long-term thinking over short-term hype.

There is no single roadmap to ecosystem building. But we do have signals. If we follow the energy of the builders looking for their way in, whether they are students, solo founders, funders, or seasoned operators, we can keep strengthening the links that turn potential into momentum.

If we want the Midwest to reach its full potential, we can’t wait for perfect conditions. We have to keep showing up, keep building, and keep creating the connections that move us forward.

‍Sebastian Penix is the Entrepreneur Ecosystem Navigator for the Central Indiana SBDC, based at Butler University’s Lacy School of Business. He is also the founder of Heartland Valley, a platform spotlighting startups and innovation across the Midwest. His work focuses on building connection, visibility, and momentum within the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

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