We were so fortunate to collaborate together for the Tomorrow Tour, a multi-city event and reporting series, which led us to six growing U.S. tech hubs over the last two months and gave leaders from Comcast NBCUniversal and Technical.ly the unique opportunity to connect with more than 1,000 founders and their supporters. 

So what happens when entrepreneurship, technology and innovation converge to create stronger cities? 

Everyone wins. 

Comcast NBCUniversal and Technical.ly partnered to uncover the best innovation stories in Philadelphia, Denver, Miami, Chicago, Detroit, and Atlanta — where startup communities are thriving. We interviewed hundreds of entrepreneurial influencers about the state of innovation communities and trends, facilitated honest conversations about their strengths and areas of growth, and provided a unique platform for future collaboration. 

Most importantly, we carefully listened to a diverse range of entrepreneurs and collectively discussed how to better tell their startup stories, strengthen their communities, and expand collaboration within and across these six cities. 

The conversations are not over. The results are not final. But, we have created a collection of valuable resources on TomorrowTour.com that we know will strengthen startup communities, not just in the cities we visited but in other cities across the country. On the site you’ll find: 

  • Tomorrow Toolkit

    This is a 23-chapter, 20,000-word eBook on the resources and opportunities available to startups in the highly collaborative entrepreneurship communities of today. The Toolkit features actionable steps for first-time and returning entrepreneurs, and is built on dozens of interviews with next-generation founders.

  • City Videos

    For each Tomorrow Tour stop, Philadelphia-based Tweed Video created a documentary that showcases each city's innovation story. They get to the heart of what makes each of these entrepreneurial communities distinct.

  • Startup Community Infographics

    Local community members crowd-sourced the resources available for new entrepreneurs in their city. Created using illustrations by Philadelphia artist Mike Jackson, these will help make entrepreneurship communities more accessible to diverse, emerging business leaders.

  • Additional Reporting

    Technical.ly reporters interviewed participating founders and startup community supporters to offer additional analysis and community perspective.

Kelly Hoey, an Inc.com columnist and angel investor who also appears regularly as an investor panelist on CNBC’s Power Pitch, joined the tour as the keynote speaker. She rolled up her sleeves alongside our teams and provided audiences with valuable and inspiring lessons on entrepreneurship. 

This was the first time Comcast NBCUniversal and Technical.ly came together to do a tour, but we knew from the start that we wanted the lessons to go way beyond one-day events. Comcast NBCUniversal's connection to the tech and entrepreneur communities in these cities will not end with the Tomorrow Tour or these free resources. The Tomorrow Team is a group of Comcast NBCUniversal employees who live and work in communities across the nation and will serve as liaisons between Comcast NBCUniversal and the community. Look for them at local meet-ups, co-working spaces, and other tech events throughout the year. 

We hope you will share these resources with your network, send us your feedback, and help amplify innovative and collaborative startup companies and communities.

 

Danielle Cohn, Sr. Director of Entrepreneurial Engagement
Christopher Wink, Technical.ly Editorial Director