Opportunities for ecosystem builders
ELEDA is the professional home for accelerator managers, EDO staff, and program leads
About Us
The Entrepreneur-Led Economic Development Association (ELEDA) is built for people connecting entrepreneurs to capital and programs, at the moment when AI is changing what that work looks like.
What is ELEDA?
What it is
The Entrepreneur-Led Economic Development Association for people who fund, train, and support entrepreneurs, built for how that work is changing in the AI era.
Who it’s for
Accelerator managers, EDO and ESO staff, and grant-funded program leads.
Anyone whose job is connecting entrepreneurs to capital and programs.
What’s included
A funding directory, a proposal library, a job board, a conference, tools, and more.
Full membership opens January 2027.
Free Resource
261 agencies that fund entrepreneur programs, in one place.
Every country has agencies that fund, train, and support entrepreneurs. We mapped 261 of them across 123 countries, each with notes on how to work with them.
What members get
Funding strategy sessions
Members get a one-on-one working session where we help you target and pursue the right funding for your programs.
Built on our free agencies directory.
Annual conference registration
Your seat at our debut conference in Austin.
You’ll grow your network, find partnerships, level up your skills in the coolest city in America.
Proposal database
Twenty-plus sample winning proposals. Borrow their structure, language, and strategy for your own.
Job board
A job board for the field. Post a role, or find your next one.
Research and writing
CARICOM State of AI Report
This report examines how AI is adopted across industries and how CARICOM countries can leverage it for regional prosperity and ecosystem outcomes.
Published in partnership with Suriname-based Bit Dynamics.
Accelerating Deep Tech in Latin America Report
ELEDA supported interviews, partnerships, and ecosystem engagement across AI, biotech, and other Deep Tech fields in this collaboration with the Latin American Dynamism Project, an organization funded by Dr. Eric Schmidt (former CEO and Chairman of Google).
The Westerner’s Guide to Chinese Entrepreneurship (Publishing 2027)
The project features on-the-ground reporting from Shenzhen and interviews with founders building inside one of the world’s most dynamic startup ecosystems.
Team
Cam Houser
Cam is a program builder and economic development practitioner running programs in 24 countries, mostly through Actionworks, ELEDA’s sister organization.
He teaches AI and entrepreneurship at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas.
Coco Liu
Coco is a writer and economic development practitioner based in Shenzhen.
Her work spans research and design at Google to developing Africa’s first Special Economic Zone for tech in Nigeria.
Simon Noerdjan
Simon is the managing director of Bit Dynamics, a Suriname-based firm providing web applications, digital transformation services, and AI trainings.
Where our members work
Global mindset
A network is only as strong as its reach.
We run projects on-the-ground in 24 countries, giving us connections to move you and your projects forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes ELEDA different?
Membership orgs for economic development professionals feel trapped in the past.
ELEDA is built for the AI transition: the tools, practices, and skills that professionals need to stay current. We build working software for our members (see our tools) and teach operators to put AI to work in their own programs.
Why the international focus?
Good ideas in entrepreneurship support are unevenly distributed. Some of the most interesting program models (and some of the fastest AI adoption) are happening far from the US. Our directory tracks 200+ innovation agencies around the world, and we bring back what works, wherever it started.
When can I join?
We’re launching January 2027. Sign up below to be notified when membership opens.
How much does membership cost?
Annual dues are $500, priced so salaried professionals can expense them.
Founding partners
Join
ELEDA is in its founding phase. We’re supporting beta members and building tools before we open fully in January 2027. If you’re reading this, you’re early.
Founding membership is open for the people who want to back ELEDA before it’s finished and help shape what it becomes. Founding members lock in their rate, get first access to everything we produce, and have a direct line into how we build it.
If you’d rather wait and follow along, join the mailing list below and we’ll keep you posted through launch.
Mailing list
Follow along the journey, get access to our research, find job opportunities, and more.