Building A Tech Ecosystem – Paul Zelizer and Vicki Apodaca

Have you ever thought about how to build a tech ecosystem for your community? Today I’m talking with two people who are doing that right now.

My guests today are Paul Zelizer and Vicki Apodaca. They are the organizers of the first Tech Week in New Mexico.

Paul is a business coach for social entrepreneurs and has helped over 30,000 leaders grow their impact-driven companies and organizations. Vicki has been a founding member of several tech startups and is currently building a document intelligence platform with AI analytics.

Paul and Vicki discuss New Mexico’s emerging tech momentum, the role of national labs, startup funding, and the goal of bringing more investment and high-wage jobs to New Mexico. Vicki shares why inclusivity and “educating by doing” are central to the event, while Paul explains how the team has focused on New Mexico’s distinct ecosystem.

Paul and Vicki emphasize that New Mexico Tech Week is operated with the structure and discipline of a startup rather than as an informal community organization.

Paul and Vicki also share the business lessons they have learned during the process of creating and implementing the Tech Week.

I’m sure you will enjoy this conversation and get some ideas for creating or supporting a tech ecosystem in your area.

Today on the Tech Leader Talk podcast:

- Creating a startup ecosystem

- Educate by doing

- Being brave enough to try something new

- Strong ecosystems need a flywheel

Resources:

New Mexico Tech Week: https://newmexicotechweek.com/

Connect with Vicki and Paul:

Vicki – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriaapodaca/

Paul – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulzelizer/

Thanks for listening!

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