Leaders in entrepreneurial development, Jeff Amerine and Dr. Jeff D. Standridge, released their book “Creating Startup Junkies” on January 28.
Amerine, founder and managing director of Startup Junkie; and Standridge, managing director of the Conductor, captured dozens of real-world lessons about transforming unexpected places into a globally competitive incubators.
Their strategies and tools have proven effective through the years as they are credited for bringing Arkansas into the limelight in the entrepreneurial world of startups. Their book outlines this genesis through practical knowledge, captivating anecdotes, easy to use tools, and a clear framework to transform a community and create opportunity for entrepreneurs and startups.
Regardless of industry or community served, Startup Junkie’s ecosystem-building method has lifted Northwest Arkansas to become a destination of choice for startups in the retail, software, and supply chain sectors as medical, data analytics, and manufacturing companies migrate toward central Arkansas.
“Most of the attention for venture ecosystems is coastal focused,” said Standridge. “But we believed there was something to be had and cultivated here in the heartland, the heart of America… We wanted to tell that story and provide a blueprint for economic developers, community leaders, ecosystem builders, and others in unexpected places. We want those people to get as much attention and focus as the folks on the coasts.”
“Too often the economic development play is ‘let’s go attract a big plant to relocate in our community. And there’s a place for that. That’s important. But that’s like buying a winning lottery ticket,” said Amerine. “What we’re talking about in this book and with everything we do is more so the Moneyball play. How do you get a better on-base percentage with the talent you have locally? Because that’s something that’ll stick.”
Startup Junkie reached its successes by strengthening the four pillars of ecosystem development: talent, culture, community engagement, and capital, which the authors share in their bestselling book.
“Creating Startup Junkies” includes a foreword written by Congressman French Hill and is broken into five parts: 1) Setting the Stage, 2) The Four Pillars of Ecosystem Building, 3) Leveraging Best Practices, 4) Tools of the Trade, and 5) Looking Ahead.
Meanwhile, apart from leading Startup Junkie Consulting, Amerine also co-leads Innovation Junkie and Cadron Capital Partners. Amerine finished his education at the United States Naval Academy in 1984, completed his Master of Science in Operations Management degree from the University of Arkansas and is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).
Standridge currently manages Conductor, a public-private partnership between the University of Central Arkansas and Startup Junkie Consulting. He also co-founded Cadron Capital and teaches in the College of Business at the University of Central Arkansas. Standridge gained his Doctor of Education degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
To mark the release of the book, the authors hosted a virtual book signing on January 28. Registered attendees had the opportunity to hear and ask questions of the authors about the book. A limited number of signed copies were given away to those who registered.
Startup Junkie Consulting marked its beginnings in 2008 and formally organized as an LLC in 2011 by offering consulting services at no cost to entrepreneurs. In order to expand the reach, impact, and depth of services, Startup Junkie Foundation was born in 2015.
As two companies sharing the same purpose, mission, vision, and values, the team is jointly building entrepreneurial ecosystems in Northwest Arkansas through providing no-cost, one-on-one consulting; events, workshops, and programs; and access to capital and talent. Extending outside of the Ozarks region, the Conductor is a public-private partnership between the University of Central Arkansas and Startup Junkie Consulting.
