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2026 State of the Industry Report from Make Startups Institute

9. Appendix B. Cross-quadrant evidence map

The table below summarizes the strongest cross-cutting themes that recur across the SWOT responses. It is designed to show how the same issue often appears as a strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat depending on the lens being applied.

Theme How it appears across the SWOT Implication for ESOs
People and talent Strength: Respondents repeatedly describe resilient founders, mission-driven practitioners, generous mentors, and a give-first culture. Weakness/Threat: That same talent is often under-supported, overextended, or at risk of burnout and brain drain. The field's greatest asset is still human capacity. Protecting, developing, and sustaining that capacity should matter at least as much as launching new programs.
Capital and business model resilience Weakness/Threat: Access to stage-appropriate capital remains uneven, while many ESOs themselves operate on fragile funding models. Opportunity: Respondents call for flexible capital stacks, community funds, and better investment-readiness pathways. Capital should be treated as infrastructure rather than a downstream afterthought. Solutions should address both founder financing and ESO sustainability.
Coordination and navigation Strength: Where trust is dense, ecosystems function well. Weakness: Founders still encounter fragmented programs, unclear pathways, and repeated introductions. Opportunity: Respondents call for shared playbooks, better data, clearer handoffs, and less duplication. The next generation of ecosystem work is operational. Progress depends on clearer founder pathways and stronger coordination among support organizations.
AI and technology adoption Strength/Opportunity: AI lowers the cost of experimentation and may improve service delivery and ecosystem coordination. Threat: These tools can also amplify hype, weak judgment, bias, cybersecurity risks, and resource concentration. AI should be incorporated as infrastructure within the ecosystem, but not treated as a substitute for strategy. Governance, training, and disciplined use cases will be critical.
Inclusion, geography, and place Strength: Many respondents see deep local commitment, rural potential, and global or diaspora networks as assets. Weakness/Threat: Access remains uneven across geography, race, immigration status, and proximity to existing networks and capital. Inclusion is not separate from ecosystem growth. Expanding participation is essential to strengthening regional economies and broadening the founder base.
Module Author: Eric Parker
Article Details
Category 2026 State of the Industry Report
Curriculum all
Created 2026-03-11 18:01:55
Last Updated 2026-03-11 18:01:55
IMI Provider CofounderOS
Published Make Startups Institute
Make Startups Institute
2026 State of the Industry Report
  1. Executive Summary
  2. SWOT Analysis: Strengths
  3. SWOT Analysis: Weaknesses
  4. SWOT Analysis: Opportunities
  5. SWOT Analysis: Threats
  6. Strategic priorities for ESOs
  7. Conclusion and Additional ESO Insights
  8. Appendix A. Methodology and limitations
  9. Appendix B. Cross-quadrant evidence map
  10. Appendix C. Selected respondent excerpts
  11. Appendix D. Downloads and References
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Appendix A. Methodology and limitations
Appendix C. Selected respondent excerpts