Direct ESHIP network
Deduplicated people reachable through ESHIP Commons and subscribed newsletter contacts, including 700+ Commons members.
ESHIP Converge 2026 / funding invitation
Who gets to fund the future?
Back the national effort, or bring your team, grantee partners, or both into Converge. Your investment advances the strategy, shared platform, and field coordination that carry the work beyond November.
Building Together
VIRTUAL CONVERGENCE · NOVEMBER 17–18, 2026 · 12:00–5:00 P.M. ET EACH DAYExplore ESHIP Converge ↗
One field. Two ways to invest.
Build the future with us.
Entrepreneurs rely on the organizations and people who connect them to capital, customers, talent, policy, and opportunity. Converge connects and strengthens that field, then turns shared learning into an ESHIP 2030 Action Agenda.
01 / National sponsorship
Back the work that connects the field.
Support a national strategy, a platform for continued collaboration, and ESHIP Alliance's coordinating work.
See sponsorship levels 02 / Delegation partnershipBring your team, grantee partners, or both.
Fund a curated delegation to contribute its perspective, learn with peers, and carry insights back.
Explore delegation typesHow Converge works
A campaign with a destination.
The November gathering is a turning point in a broader effort to connect what is working, confront shared challenges, and align on action through 2030.
01
Amplify
Elevate aligned events, resources, initiatives, and the people already moving entrepreneurial ecosystems forward.
02
Activate
Listen across networks and communities to surface what is working, what is needed, and where stronger collaboration is possible.
03
Accelerate
Bring those insights into two days of virtual convergence, then carry priorities and participation pathways into the ESHIP 2030 Action Agenda and Commons.
Reach and momentum
A growing national network is already in motion.
ESHIP’s direct network spans both ESHIP Commons and the newsletter. Converge partners extend that circle across organizations, sectors, and communities, creating pathways to carry the Action Agenda forward.
Partner organizations
Named anchors, live-event collaborators, and outreach partners in the current Converge network.
Modeled professional network participants*
Across an initial 18 partner networks, before adjusting for overlap.
The direct ESHIP figure rounds 1,258 deduplicated, currently reachable people in a September analysis and excludes unsubscribed or cleaned newsletter records. *The partner-network model predates recent additions. It describes estimated network size, not unique people, guaranteed impressions, or expected attendance. The 29 partner organizations are counted once across their roles, excluding ESHIP Alliance.
Among the partners:InBIA · SourceLink · IEDC · Global Entrepreneurship Network · Kiva U.S. · Main Street AmericaExplore Converge partners ↗
National sponsorship
Fund the work that lasts beyond November.
The two-day virtual convergence is a visible milestone. Your investment also helps ESHIP Alliance turn field input into a national strategy and the ESHIP 2030 Action Agenda, support collaboration through ESHIP Commons, and coordinate the work that follows.
What your support makes possible
National strategy + Action Agenda
Bring what the field is learning into shared priorities, concrete initiatives, and paths for participation and investment through 2030.
A platform for collaboration
Use ESHIP Commons to connect contributors, organize shared work, and keep priority projects moving after Converge.
Coordination for the field
Support ESHIP Alliance's capacity to convene partners, connect aligned efforts, steward the Action Agenda, and make progress visible.
Choose the sponsorship level that fits your goals.
National sponsor
Connector
$2,500
Support the field. Be visibly aligned.
- Logo or name recognition on sponsor materials and website
- Recognition in Converge communications and during the virtual gathering
- Access to field insights and a post-event summary
- Opportunity to submit one aligned resource or initiative for possible amplification
- Recognition as a supporter of the Action Agenda and national Census and Map
National sponsor
Catalyst
$5,000
Expand visibility and engagement.
- Everything in Connector
- Enhanced logo placement and dedicated recognition in a campaign communication
- Opportunity to feature one aligned initiative, resource, or ecosystem investment
- Invitation to selected Converge sessions or field conversations
- Post-Converge sponsor briefing and opportunity for relevant introductions
Field-wide or sector-specific
Field or Sector Sponsor
$10,000
Choose broad field leadership or a focused sector partnership.
- Everything in Catalyst
- Field focus: support the national strategy and Action Agenda across sectors
- Sector focus: convene leaders in economic development, chambers, universities, or another sector around shared priorities
- Premier recognition, including opening or closing remarks in the overall program or a relevant sector conversation, as appropriate
- Spotlight on aligned work, curated introductions, and an executive briefing with ESHIP leadership
- Strategic conversation tied to the 2030 Action Agenda; visibility in related outputs where appropriate
Exclusive · one available
National sponsor
Presenting Partner
$25,000
Lead supporter of the full Converge campaign.
- Everything in the $10,000 sponsor level
- Exclusive presenting designation on key campaign and convergence materials
- Highest-level recognition across the fall campaign
- Dedicated feature across ESHIP newsletter, Commons, and LinkedIn
- Customized national field briefing and two-hour executive strategy session
- Option to direct part of the investment toward access for underrepresented ecosystem leaders
Sponsorship supports the field-building process. Editorial and Action Agenda priorities emerge through field participation and shared learning.
Delegation partnership
A delegation can be built around more than a place.
A delegation is a purposefully curated group that shows up together, contributes a shared perspective, learns from the national field, and brings insights back to its own community. ESHIP works with the funding partner to identify and invite a representative mix of participants.
What could bring your delegation together?
Place
A city, region, state, rural corridor, or multi-community area.
Network
Members or partners connected through an organization or alliance.
Shared focus
Builders working on a common issue, sector, or entrepreneurial challenge.
Community of practice
Peers connected by their role, lived experience, or the entrepreneurs they serve.
Funder portfolio
Grantees and collaborators brought together to learn and act across investments.
Before Converge
Curate + prepare
Choose the delegation's purpose and mix of people. Surface the strengths, questions, and insights they want to bring.
During Converge
Connect + contribute
Share perspectives, learn alongside national peers, and contribute to the Action Agenda process.
After Converge
Bring it home
Use the delegation profile and field insights to inform local, network, or issue-specific next steps.
For every delegation
A digital toolkit to carry the work forward.
Delegations receive a digital toolkit to enhance their experience before, during, and after the virtual convergence. Choose the version that fits the group you bring together.
General Delegation Toolkit
For teams, networks, communities, and groups united by a shared focus. Prepare together, participate with purpose, and turn what you learn into next steps.
Foundation Delegation Toolkit
For foundations bringing grantee partners together. Connect perspectives across a portfolio and identify opportunities to learn and act together after Converge.
Choose the support level
From participation to action.
Delegation partner
Connector
$2,500
Bring a curated group into the field.
- Up to 10 delegates
- ESHIP-supported invitation and curation
- Participation in the Action Agenda process
- Delegation profile on the Converge platform
- Inclusion of relevant organizations in the national ESHIP Census and Ecosystem Map
- Two hours of tailored advisory support before or after Converge
Delegation partner
Catalyst
$5,000
Measure and strengthen your group's participation.
- Everything in Connector, with up to 25 delegates
- Enhanced delegate curation and expanded delegation profile
- Up to three customized impact measures developed with ESHIP
- Post-Converge impact snapshot covering participation, learning, and takeaways
- Two hours of tailored advisory support before or after Converge
Delegation partner
Action
$7,500
Turn national learning into your group's next steps.
- Everything in Catalyst
- Customized insights report on your delegation's contributions and key takeaways
- Post-Agenda strategy workshop with the delegation
- Action summary that can be shared with the field to inform collective work
A regional delegation is one example. We will shape the delegation and its follow-through around the participants and purpose you want to bring into the conversation.
The invitation
Let's build what comes next.
Tell us what you want to strengthen and which team members, grantee partners, or collaborators you want in the conversation. We can discuss a national sponsorship, a delegation, or a combination that fits your goals.