When Joe Maruschak left his home ecosystem of Eugene, Oregon, it sent ripples through our community of ecosystem builders.

In the public farewell letter that he wrote in July 2021, he voiced what so many of us had been struggling with and discussing behind closed doors.

A year and a half after this letter, I invited Joe onto the show to share his journey and talk to us about what life is like after the big Quit.

We talked about self-financing your work as an ecosystem builder, managing different stakeholders with very different expectations, and about the importance of doing over talking.

Joe Maruschak is a twice-exited startup founder, Startup Accelerator Managing Director, and Fund GP, who spent the better part of a decade building the startup community in Eugene, Oregon.

Listen to the full episode to hear:

• Why Joe believes in connecting with newcomers to a community about more than just their startups
• The slow process of realizing that he had done all that he could in Eugene
• The psychological toll of being a recognizable leader in an ecosystem grappling with serious issues beyond funding
• Why Joe wouldn’t change much about how he approached his time in Eugene, but he would trust his gut and take action more

Learn more about Joe Maruschak:

• Medium
• Twitter: @JoeMaruschak

Learn More About Anika Horn:

• Website: www.socialventurers.com
• Instagram: SocialVenturers
• Newsletter: Sign up for Impact Curator

Resources:

• Last Call! Sadly saying goodbye to a community, by Joe Maruschak
• The New Geography of Jobs, Enrico Moretti
• The Power Law: Venture Capital and the Making of the New Future, Sebastian Mallaby