TGB //Ecosystem Navigator

Your Region Has Untapped Innovation Potential.
This Shows You Exactly Where It Is.

In 5 minutes, this diagnostic maps exactly where ideas, talent, and capital flow in your region — and where they're not connecting yet. Built on economic complexity research from Harvard and MIT, grounded in 50+ interviews with ecosystem leaders.

Where your cycle breaksBuilt on your real dataThe ‘why’ behind the score
No account required10 questions, 5 minutesHarvard-pioneered Economic Complexity

Tariffs, reshoring, AI disruption — regions that can't measure their readiness can't compete.

Every Question Is Configured for Your Region

Before you answer a single question, we scan your region's actual institutions, programs, and assets — so every question maps to real conditions on the ground, not generic placeholders.

Generic survey question

“How quickly do ecosystem leaders adapt their innovation strategies in response to major market shifts?”

What you actually see

“How quickly do leaders at the MetroHartford Alliance, the City of Hartford, and academic institutions like UConn Hartford and the University of Hartford adapt their innovation strategies in response to major market shifts or unexpected events affecting the Hartford area?”

Every question references your actual institutions so your answers — and your report — reflect reality, not generalities.

How It Works

From first click to actionable strategy in three steps. No consultants. No committee meetings. No six-month timelines.

1

Answer 10 Questions

Rate your region across key ecosystem dimensions. Questions are tailored to your locality using real-time data about your area's institutions and programs.

5 minutes • No account needed

2

Get Your Report

Your responses are analyzed against The Groundbreakers framework — producing a structured report with scores, VIC diagnosis, mapped assets, and prioritized recommendations.

Instant • Shareable • Exportable as PDF

3

Go Deeper

Upgrade to Pro for strategic deep dives into each dimension — Arenas, Vehicles, Differentiators, Staging, and Economic Logic. Six reports per location.

$299/year • Use code FIRSTMOVE for $199

Start Step 1 — Free

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an innovation ecosystem diagnostic?▾
An innovation ecosystem diagnostic is a structured assessment that evaluates how well a region's institutions, programs, capital flows, and talent pipelines work together to support innovation and economic growth. Ecosystem Navigator uses the LINK framework to score your region across key strategic dimensions and produce actionable recommendations backed by research.
How does this differ from generic AI tools like ChatGPT?▾
Unlike generic AI, Ecosystem Navigator uses a proprietary research framework (LINK) that fuses corporate strategy theory, Harvard/MIT Economic Complexity research, and insights from 50+ interviews with innovation ecosystem CEOs. Every question is localized to your specific region — referencing your actual universities, accelerators, and economic development organizations — not generic prompts.
How long does the diagnostic take?▾
Approximately 5 minutes. You answer 10 questions about your region, each tailored to your specific city using AI-researched local context. Your report is generated instantly. No account is required to start.
Who is this for?▾
Ecosystem Navigator serves seven professional perspectives: economic development officers, local government leaders (mayors, city managers, policy staff, provincial/state innovation agencies), university tech transfer and research leaders, investors and VCs, entrepreneurs and startups, corporate innovation teams, and NGOs, foundations, and international development organizations. Anyone responsible for understanding or improving a region's innovation capacity.
What does "role-aware framing" mean?▾
When you run the diagnostic, you select your professional perspective — economic development, government, university, investor, entrepreneur, corporate innovation, or NGO/foundation/impact. The underlying diagnosis doesn't change (scores and findings are system-level truths), but recommendations and narrative emphasis are framed for your specific context, action levers, and decision-making authority.
What do I get in the free report?▾
The free report includes an executive summary with framework analysis, Virtuous Innovation Cycle (VIC) diagnosis showing where ideas, capital, and talent flow or get stuck, an innovation asset map of your region's institutions, and a prioritized action plan with research citations. Pro users can unlock deep dives into each of the five strategic dimensions.
What is the LINK framework?▾
The LINK framework is The Groundbreakers' proprietary methodology for analyzing innovation ecosystems. It synthesizes corporate strategy theory, Economic Complexity research pioneered at Harvard and MIT, and practitioner insights from 50+ innovation ecosystem CEOs into a structured diagnostic model.
What is an innovation asset map?▾
An innovation asset map identifies and plots the key organizations that make up a region's innovation ecosystem — universities, research labs, incubators, accelerators, venture capital firms, economic development agencies, and more. Ecosystem Navigator generates one automatically for your region as part of every diagnostic report.
What is economic complexity and why does it matter for my region?▾
Economic complexity measures how diverse and sophisticated a region's productive capabilities are. Regions that produce a wide variety of hard-to-replicate products and services tend to grow faster and be more resilient. Ecosystem Navigator uses economic complexity research — pioneered at Harvard and MIT — to evaluate whether your region is building the capabilities needed for long-term competitiveness.
Can I benchmark my innovation ecosystem against other regions?▾
The free diagnostic includes peer comparison insights drawn from 50+ ecosystem leader interviews and published research. Pro users get additional benchmarking context, including system readiness scoring and comparative analysis across strategic dimensions.
What is a regional innovation scorecard?▾
A regional innovation scorecard quantifies the strengths and gaps across the dimensions that drive ecosystem performance — talent, capital, infrastructure, knowledge flows, and more. Ecosystem Navigator scores your region across 35 sub-dimensions and visualizes them in a structured scorecard so you can see exactly where to focus.

Five Minutes. One Diagnostic. Your Region.

Free to start. No account required. See your scores, your gaps, and what to prioritize — instantly.

Start Your Free Diagnostic

Pro deep dives available after your free report · Launch price $199/yr with code FIRSTMOVE