TGB //Ecosystem Navigator
For Government & Policy Leaders

You Invest in Your Region.
Is It Producing Innovation?

In 5 minutes, Ecosystem Navigator maps where your public investment — infrastructure, education, zoning, grants — connects to innovation outcomes. See whether the system is compounding value or leaking it, and which policy levers will have the most impact.

Evidence for councilYour institutions, mappedPolicy-aligned actions
No account required10 questions, 5 minutesResearch-backed methodology

Strategic plans set direction. This diagnostic tells you whether your municipality's instruments — zoning, procurement, infrastructure — are actually aligned with innovation outcomes.

Sound Familiar?

These are the questions that keep mayors and city managers up at night. The diagnostic tells you where you actually stand.

"How do I justify innovation spending to taxpayers?"

Innovation investment has long payoffs and short election cycles. The diagnostic gives you scored, evidence-based analysis you can take to council — showing exactly where public investment is producing returns and where it's leaking value.

"We fund education, then graduates leave."

Brain drain isn't a university problem — it means the ecosystem lacks the employers, capital, and quality of life to retain the talent your tax dollars helped produce. The diagnostic pinpoints the specific gap.

"We approved an innovation district. Now what?"

Rezoning is step one. The diagnostic reveals whether the surrounding ecosystem — anchor tenants, talent pipeline, capital access, transit connectivity — can make that district succeed or sit half-empty.

"Our strategic plan mentions innovation but doesn't measure it."

The diagnostic scores your region across 35 dimensions and connects them to the municipal instruments you control — official plan, procurement, capital budget, and inter-governmental coordination.

Where Public Policy Meets Innovation Outcomes

The Virtuous Innovation Cycle (VIC) shows how knowledge becomes economic value and reinvests back into the community. Government shapes the conditions at every phase — the diagnostic reveals whether your instruments are aligned.

Phase I — Knowledge & Talent

Where your education investment pays off

Public funding for universities, workforce programs, and research infrastructure. The diagnostic reveals whether these investments are producing talent and knowledge the local economy can absorb.

Phase II — Connections & Collisions

Where zoning and infrastructure matter

Innovation districts, mixed-use zoning, transit access, co-working incentives. Are your land-use and capital-improvement decisions creating the physical conditions for knowledge to flow?

Phase III — Creation & Impact

The economic outcomes voters see

New businesses, job creation, industry diversification. The diagnostic shows whether the regulatory environment enables or impedes the translation of innovation into economic activity.

Phase IV — Reinvestment & Growth

Your policy lever — keeping value local

Does success reinvest in your jurisdiction? Are property values, tax revenue, and community capacity growing? This is where public investment either compounds or leaks to other regions.

What You Get in 5 Minutes

Evidence-based analysis of your region's innovation ecosystem — ready for council.

Ecosystem Diagnosis

A structured narrative connecting public investment to innovation outcomes — naming your institutions, scoring your region. See which policy levers are working and which need attention.

Innovation Asset Map

Every university, research lab, incubator, business park, and development agency in your jurisdiction — plotted on a map. Useful for capital improvement planning and inter-departmental coordination.

Policy-Aligned Actions

Recommendations framed around instruments you control: official plan amendments, procurement policy, TIF districts, zoning, and inter-governmental coordination. Each identifies specific next steps.

Not a Consultant Report. Not ChatGPT.

Consultant studies take months and cost six figures. This diagnostic scores your system in 5 minutes — and you can share it immediately.

What strategic plans typically say
  • “Foster a culture of innovation”
  • “Attract and retain talent”
  • “Support entrepreneurship”
  • “Leverage our strengths”
What this diagnostic tells you
  • “Phase IV scores 1.8 — success is leaving the jurisdiction. Reinvestment mechanisms (local procurement, founder retention, capital recycling) are weak.”
  • “Your zoning decisions created an innovation district, but transit access scores 2.1 — the infrastructure doesn’t support the vision.”
  • “Three workforce programs overlap with no coordination. Recommend inter-departmental alignment...”

Questions from Government Leaders

I'm a mayor, not an innovation expert. Is this for me?▾
Yes. You don't need to be an innovation expert — you need to know whether the policy instruments you control (zoning, infrastructure, procurement, grants) are creating the conditions for innovation. The diagnostic translates complex ecosystem dynamics into evidence-based findings that connect directly to municipal decision-making.
Can I use this in a council presentation?▾
Absolutely. The report includes a shareable link, PDF export, and structured visualizations (scorecard, VIC diagram, asset map) designed for presentations to council, committees, and community stakeholders. The language is professional, evidence-based, and free of jargon.
How does this relate to our strategic plan?▾
Most strategic plans mention innovation as a goal but don't measure the system. This diagnostic gives you a scored baseline across 35 dimensions that your strategic plan can reference. It shows which municipal instruments are aligned with innovation outcomes and which are misaligned — useful for plan updates and capital budget conversations.
How is this different from hiring a consultant?▾
A full ecosystem study from a consulting firm takes 6-12 months and costs $50K-$200K. This diagnostic takes 5 minutes and gives you a structured baseline you can act on immediately. It's not a replacement for deep strategic work — it's the evidence base that tells you where to focus that work.
What does the free version include?▾
The free report includes an executive summary, Virtuous Innovation Cycle (VIC) diagnosis, innovation asset map of your region's institutions, ecosystem scorecard across 35 strategic dimensions, and a prioritized action plan with 100+ research citations. Pro users can unlock deep-dive modules for granular analysis.
Should our EDO run this too?▾
Definitely. When the mayor's office and the EDO each run the diagnostic, you get aligned evidence for budget and strategy conversations. The underlying diagnosis is the same system — it's just framed for your specific instruments and decision-making authority.

Five Minutes. Your Region. Your Evidence.

You already know your region has potential. Find out if your policy instruments are unlocking it.

Get your region's report — free

No account required · Results in 60 seconds · Share with your council