I am leaving Techstars
By: Steven A. Rodriguez
Tags: Small Business, Community, Startup, Venture Capital, Ecosystem

Before the chatter spreads, I am in fact leaving Techstars after two years of co-building human-centered startup communities alongside amazing ecosystem builders across the US/Canada. It has been a real journey. A quality adventure. An amazing experience.

I appreciate and am thankful.

It comes with a very heavy heart to leave, which I will do in 24 hours.

I’m going to spend some time off to re-charge and begin the next adventure.

Anyone who knows me is probably thinking what I will do or where I will travel to next. In short, likely travel abroad in LatAm or across the U.S. at some point, and likely during warm weather as suggested in this map.

This whole experience at Techstars, and across Washington, D.C. and New York City (where I have lived for three decades) have been near perfect. I’ve learned. I’ve grown. I’ve helped.

To answer some questions:

Techstars is fantastic, absolutely nothing bad to say about them. Class act, amazing people doing the world a huge amount of good.

Some of the Washington, D.C. programs I’ve launched like Techstars Startup Week and 1 Million Cups, or helped grow like Techstars Startup Weekend and Freelancer’s Union Spark, live on without me, the committees are going to kick ass like they usually do. The Washington, D.C. community is amazing and will step up and fill any void with ease.

I’ll still stay involved in the Washington, D.C. ecosystem as reality allows through some community catalyst organizations like 1863 Ventures, SUEGO, Innovate Coalition Inc. and CrowdWork.Coop (among others) to continue co-building inclusive innovation across the Greater Washington, D.C. Region.

I am venturing abroad again and don’t know how long I’m going to travel. I’ve had a booked schedule since my University days, so having something open like this is very, very scary.

I may work on something full-time, but am open to serendipity.

I think I will come back to Washington, D.C., but am honestly unsure. Life is comfortable and amazing here in New York, and might need to find some adventure elsewhere.

MY BIG ASK

If you were to go out for an adventure, what would it be? If you wanted to travel, to co-create a memorable journey, how would you plan it? What are wilderness areas that should not be missed? If you know of any resources/ trips / groups doing good that need help please let me know in the comments.

I’m busy planning and training. Drop a note if you want to meet up or say hi before I take off.

As colleague Andrew Hyde shared from experience, Edward Abbey said it pretty well:

One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am — a reluctant enthusiast….a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive.

The definition of adventure is the outcome is unknown. — Unknown

This outcome is unknown, and I’m looking forward to that.