Caffe Genius Impressarios

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: This is another visit to the LVGEA 3-Year Economic Diversification Plan published in June and commented upon in a LinkedIn Newsletter that you did not read. So let’s talk about it here… LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoLVGEA 3-Year Strategic Plan Direct Link https://lvgea.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2026-LVGEA-Strategic-Plan-Community-Version.pdfLinkedIn Newsletter Issue Post https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7474833866818617345AI DisclosureUnless otherwise specified, ALL writing and speaking contained in this episode of Caffe Genius Impressarios is 100% Human.Cover art, a single frame image, may be constructed with a combination of generative AI, clip art, real photographs, visual elements, various type faces, and other miscellaneous elements.A single cover art image may be converted to Video, to which the same disclosures apply.

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: The notion that a given population could be split into the Leaders or Doers, the Followers or Enablers, and the Spectators, is easy but not always accurate and certainly not precise. If we are indeed in Ontology mode, we could do better by settling on a Taxonomy that describes a population within a group under specific and varying circumstances. That may not make sense so give this a listen… LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoTaxonomy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TaxonomyFolksonomy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FolksonomyBloom’s Taxonomy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloom%27s_taxonomyThe 1% Rule (aka 1 9 90) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1%25_ruleAI DisclosureUnless otherwise specified, ALL writing and speaking contained in this episode of Caffe Genius Impressarios is 100% Human.Cover art, a single frame image, may be constructed with a combination of generative AI, clip art, real photographs, visual elements, various type faces, and other miscellaneous elements.A single cover art image may be converted to Video, to which the same disclosures apply.

Show NotesHost: Dan HugoSummary: Any community or town, city or county, state or country has a lot of moving parts, progressively more in fact, with visibility not always made easy to the people livinging in these places. Transparency is usually too much to ask for, and forget about observability. Suppose, that an open ontology existed to describe the moving parts and their connections and data flows and whatnot, not to mention people and places and things and so on, so that everybody would be able to observe such a thing, and perhaps by way of a decenralized folksonomy, maybe coerced over time into something that fits our open ontology and which can fill in some actual instance data along the way…LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoOntology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OntologyTaxonomy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TaxonomyFolksonomy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FolksonomyAI DisclosureUnless otherwise specified, ALL writing and speaking contained in this episode of Caffe Genius Impressarios is 100% Human.Cover art, a single frame image, may be constructed with a combination of generative AI, clip art, real photographs, visual elements, various type faces, and other miscellaneous elements.A single cover art image may be converted to Video, to which the same disclosures apply.

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: If you find yourself in the Greater Vegas area, you tend to know when something on The Strip is happening, or when anything in the Fun Economy is kicking off, because these are given attention, which means they get more attention. This mechanism should be available to our entrepreneurs and innovators… LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoAI DisclosureUnless otherwise specified, ALL writing and speaking contained in this episode of Caffe Genius Impressarios is 100% Human.Cover art, a single frame image, may be constructed with a combination of generative AI, clip art, real photographs, visual elements, various type faces, and other miscellaneous elements.A single cover art image may be converted to Video, to which the same disclosures apply.

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: Here in Greater Vegas some would like to fancy us an Innovation Hub, perhaps even a Global Innovation Hub, or words to that effect, and some day that may be true. One milestone along the path to that goal is an informed public, and since Innovation figures prominently in our goal, it could figure prominently in the journey… LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoBricolage CMS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bricolage_(software)

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: A few bits and pieces to update and refresh as this hot summer continues and the number coolness does not. LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugo

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: The title is obvious, perhaps. Do It Yourself, For Flick Sake. Make a minor edit in there, the point though is this, do not as an entrepreneur or innovator wait for others on high to give you permission or tell you what to do or how to do it. Take a chance, follow your nose, and learn along the way. Then and only then should you be asking for assistance, and even then only if you must. LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoBarry’s Economics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbDQs_TcyN4

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: No announcements today, but we are going to talk about some ideas to consider when there are announcements to be made to some or all of Greater Vegas and perhaps beyond. We are, though, always reaching out… LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugo

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: If you are at all familiar with the Downtown Project days in lovely Downtown Las Vegas, you probably heard the term Serendipitous Collisions with regard to the people pursuing their startup ideas and others visiting to witness this undertaking, sometimes called City as a Startup. We should revisit that, starting but not ending in this episode. LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoDTP Collisions https://www.forbes.com/sites/techonomy/2013/11/15/why-zappos-ceo-hsieh-wants-to-enable-more-collisions-in-vegas/Beyond Collisions…. by Dr. John H Howard https://www.actoninstitute.au/post/beyond-collisions-towards-a-theory-of-serendipitous-interaction-in-innovation-districts-precincts

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: This has been on the wish list for too long, the time has come to cast aside the pile that is LinkedIn and commence the journey out into the world wide internets, where the algorithms are different, the velvet rope not present. LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoDeprecation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deprecation

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: Somewhere between what is objectively true and what we seem to want to believe is subjectively true is sometimes called hype. This by way of a first pass at Transforming Las Vegas Into A Financial Center by Dr Daniel Chi and Amin Asadi of UNLV… LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoTransforming Las Vegas Into A Financial Center https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=6533259SWOT https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SWOT_analysisArticle about Lost in Austin book https://thehill.com/homenews/4907909-lost-in-austin-book-development-affordability-traffic-water/

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: If we were to name three most-definitely-not-blind mice, these in the title could work. Or we could simply examine these three ways of looking at, well, anything, but especially our Entrepreneurial Innovation Ecosystem and its surroundings… LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoVisibility (sort of) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_perception Transparency https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transparency_(behavior)Observability https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Observability

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: A somewhat sensational title, this is not really proof so much as a few examples, but of what Motivated Reasoning is and how it can be used effectively… in Greater Vegas. (Correction: Las Vegas population is closer to 680K not 580K -dh)LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoLas Vegas ranks Number 2 WorldWide in Startup Activity https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/entrepreneurs/las-vegas-ranks-no-2-in-world-in-startup-community-activity-3837252/Las Vegas leads the US in Tech Employment Growth for 2026 https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/las-vegas-to-lead-nation-in-tech-employment-growth-in-2026-per-report-3823979/Population and Migration PER CAPITA https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/housing/nevada-is-the-standout-californias-affordability-crisis-continues-to-drive-relocation-3791527/Telephone Game End https://www.gamblingnews.com/news/state-of-nevada-leads-us-in-population-growth-for-decades/Telephone Game Mid https://www.reviewjournal.com/business/housing/nevada-is-americas-fastest-growing-state-report-says-3839095/Telephone Game Start https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-u-s-population-growth-by-state-1970-2025/Broken Link https://crowdfundcapitaladvisors.com/downloads/2023-best-cities-and-states-for-startups/TED Julia Galef https://www.ted.com/talks/julia_galef_why_you_think_you_re_right_even_if_you_re_wrongThe Scout Mindset by Julia Galef https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scout_MindsetMotivated Reasoning https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivated_reasoningBad News https://www.8newsnow.com/news/nevada-ranks-last-in-nation-for-mental-health-care-access-umc-doctors-warn-crisis-growing/

Show NotesHost: Dan HugoSummary: Difficult to locate just yet, but the LVGEA has published some plans that seem to match the Key Industries we have mentioned previously (the associated web page on the LVGEA website no longer there), as a way forward for continuing Economic Diversity efforts. But where will the water come from?LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoPost-2026 Water https://www.usbr.gov/ColoradoRiverBasin/post2026/index.htmlReport on LVGEA Strategic Plan https://www.ktnv.com/news/new-strategic-plan-a-roadmap-to-the-futureLost in Austin (report on book) https://thehill.com/homenews/4907909-lost-in-austin-book-development-affordability-traffic-water/

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: Technically this is a plural wrong numbers scenario, but that doesn’t sound as good for a title. If you have not consumed Episode 0166 of this program, “Show Me Data,” the links from that episode might come in handy, though today is not so much about the published numbers, only that they are the wrong numbers to wait on. Got it? LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoLVCVA Tourism Tracker (Research) https://www.lvcva.com/research/UNLV CBER Economic Dashboard https://cber.unlv.edu/economic-dashboard/

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: The to-do list continues to grow, attempts to reach out are diversifying, and being Entrepreneurial and Innovative still take a lot of work, will this all be worthwhile? LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugo

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: A few observations about some things that appear to be missing in action, either not to be found, or not easy to discover. Both are problematic in different ways, and both can be solved, or addressed, with a modicum of effort from a small, interested crowd. LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugo

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: Content creators in and around Greater Vegas are getting a real workout, declaring Vegas Dead, Vegas Not Dead, and anywhere in between, based on anecdotal in-person crowd size assessments, person-on-the-street commentary, and various reports on visitor statistics, revenue and loss numbers, and a variety of statements made by a variety of people. We need to break out the probes and do some debugging… LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoShow Me Data - Episode 0166 https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/caffe-genius-impressarios/episodes/Episode-0166-Show-Me-Data-e3iosv9/a-ackkapnGoodhart in Vegas - Episode 0152 https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/caffe-genius-impressarios/episodes/Episode-0152-Goodhart-in-Vegas-e3e3nck/a-acebps2What Are Vegas KPIs and OKRs ? - Episode 0146 https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/caffe-genius-impressarios/episodes/Episode-0146-What-Are-Vegas-KPIs-and-OKRs-e3c9o47/a-acc1sv6Cohesive Coherence or Coherent Cohesion - Episode 0138 https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/caffe-genius-impressarios/episodes/Episode-0138-Cohesive-Coherence-or-Coherent-Cohesion-e39lqeh/a-ac7dtcqCity as a System - Episode 0137 https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/caffe-genius-impressarios/episodes/Episode-0137-City-as-a-System-e39bjgd/a-ac70hub

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: Not a pivot, more a pre-production observation and integration into the other thing I need to launch, to make it all make sense. Be the impressario! LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugo

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: A Global Hub of Innovation surely must run on data, data analysis, and data-driven decisions, yes? So where is the data? LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoLVCVA Tourism Tracker (Research) https://www.lvcva.com/research/Eater Las Vegas https://vegas.eater.com/StartupNV Dealroom Announcement https://startupnv.org/startupnv-announces-statewide-partnerships/Dealroom Top 50 Vegas Startups https://app.dealroom.co/lists/35106NV GOED Economic Snapshot https://goed.nv.gov/news/economic-snapshot/NV GOED Entrepreneurship Dashboard https://goed.nv.gov/entrepreneurship-dashboard/UNLV CBER Reports https://cber.unlv.edu/economic-forecasts-and-research/UNLV CBER Economic Dashboard https://cber.unlv.edu/economic-dashboard/

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: One of the topic areas we really should talk about is entrepreneurial innovative pursuits, like startup ideas and projects, so let us do just that today! LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoThe very early days https://web.archive.org/web/19961226174430/http://www.reallycool.com/What could have been https://twobithistory.org/2020/01/05/foaf.htmlActivityPub https://activitypub.rocks/

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: Start with Why as Simon Sinek might suggest, always ask Why, and always be able to respond to Why if asked. LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoSimon Sinek TED Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: There are a few things entering the interconnected net here in Nevada that are worth a mention now and continued attention paid through the year and beyond, definitely on the agenda if we can get Initiative 2026 moving. Hint. LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoLV Global Economic Alliance https://lvgea.org/Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada https://www.edawn.org/Nevada Economic Developers Association https://nevadaeda.org/NV GOED Business Resources https://goed.nv.gov/business-resources/NV GOED Office of Entrepreneurship https://goed.nv.gov/programs/office-of-entrepreneurship/Right to Start https://www.righttostart.org/America the Entrepreneurial https://www.americatheentrepreneurial.org/Nevada the Entrepreneurial https://goed.nv.gov/nevada-the-entrepreneurial/Asset Based Community Development https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asset-based_community_development

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: We exist in interesting times, to be sure. Here in Vegas, a sign of the economic times, those with more money are finding their entertainment value while the rest of us normal folks may not be finding the Vegas we once made a frequent destination. Is it Us and Them? LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoOne Article Illustration https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/28/us/politics/las-vegas-economy.html?unlocked_article_code=1.WlA.G6O8.6QjLS631yB-o&smid=url-share Recession Shapes https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recession_shapes

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: There is usually a severe bias toward success, discussing success, and emulating success, especially when people speak of economic development, so-called community building, and so on. Does anything ever not go to plan? LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoBarry’s Economics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbDQs_TcyN4Survivorship Bias https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_biasLearning by Teaching https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning_by_teaching

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: I have said it before, I’m saying it again, Communities and Ecosystems are emergent, they can not be “Built” in the sense this term is often used. They are also not the same thing… Let’s talk about it. LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugo

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: How many different things can go on in the space of a week or two, and what are the chances things only get more weird and less predictable this year? Well, how about some blue sky thinking just in case? LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugo

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: January 2026 tourism and visitor numbers show a decline from January 2025 tourism and visitor numbers which had shown a decline already from January 2024, so you are going to have to come on down to Vegas as soon as possible, and bring all of your friends. And their friends. Pause if you are thinking about bringing your startup idea. LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoLVCVA Research https://www.lvcva.com/research/Vegas At Par https://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/vegas-foreign-currency-21955655.phpStill Fabulous https://www.visitlasvegas.com/deals/Key Industries https://lvgea.org/key-industries/Startup Ecosystem https://lvgea.org/startups/Strap in for some Spin https://lvgea.org/guest-column/is-las-vegas-the-next-silicon-valley/

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: One of the early focal areas of Caffe Genius in 2022 or so, was the pursuit of better, more valuable meetups in our Entrepreneurial Innovation Ecosystem here in Greater Vegas. Now is a good time to re-visit some of the take-home lessons and some things to ponder now and in the near term. LinksCaffe Genius Homepage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugo

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: Chaos is Opportunity, we have gone over this before, but what about Means and Motive, the other two components of the Entrepreneurial Innovator driving function? LinksCaffe Genius Hompage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoDanger and Turning Point https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_word_for_crisis

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: Getting the Genius Roundtable up and running for a second cohort as part of Initiative 2026 has taken a temporary back seat to the Smarter Smart City Challenge over at the Innovate for Vegas Foundation, but the Roundtable can overlap The Challenge, so let’s throw out some topics to ponder ahead of a virtual meetup… LinksCaffe Genius Hompage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoNevada job seekers face uphill battle as unemployment hits 3rd highest in nation https://www.ktnv.com/news/nevada-job-seekers-face-uphill-battle-as-unemployment-hits-third-highest-in-nationStudents, parents, educators speak against CCSD’s plan to cut 1,200 positions https://www.fox5vegas.com/2026/02/13/students-parents-educators-speak-against-ccsds-plan-cut-1200-positions/Study lists Nevada as one of the least educated states | KLAS https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/study-lists-nevada-as-one-of-the-least-educated-states/Small business creation drops in Clark County https://www.fox5vegas.com/2026/02/09/small-business-creation-drops-clark-county/Inside Las Vegas's Electric Reinvention Into a Sports Capital | Condé Nast Traveler https://www.cntraveler.com/story/inside-las-vegas-electric-reinvention-into-a-sports-capitalCrushing it: Wynn Resorts CEO sees bright future, even with a very tough act to follow https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local-news/las-vegas-strip/crushing-it-wynn-resorts-ceo-sees-bright-future-even-with-a-very-tough-act-to-follow/TECH HUBS: Site Selection Magazine https://siteselection.com/tech-hubs-dfw-overtakes-dc-in-north-american-tech-hub-index/Global Innovation Hubs Index 2025 https://www.nature.com/articles/d42473-025-00418-x

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: I have been looking in the direction of the upcoming year-long Smarter Smart City Challenge so forgive my distraction, here are a couple of things on deck. LinksCaffe Genius Hompage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugo

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: Greater Vegas certainly could be if we made the most of so many people visiting this little oasis, not to extract so much but to engage. I may be biased, though, let’s talk about it. LinksCaffe Genius Hompage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoInnovate for Vegas Foundation https://innovateforvegas.org

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: Goodhart’s Law states that “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.” So about those tourism stats… LinksCaffe Genius Hompage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoGoodhart’s Law https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodhart%27s_lawLVCVA Research https://www.lvcva.com/research/LVCVA Fabulous Five-Day Sale https://press.lvcva.com/all/las-vegas-kicks-off-the-fabulous-5-day-sale-today/s/65399c90-ab5e-4207-a0c8-cc70b9a17da5Sarah Paine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_C._M._PaineSarah Paine on current Strategy and Potential Outcomes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSUE1n8yWng

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: Everybody is waiting for the final report for 2025 regarding the Vegas Slump that everyone is already reporting on, and if you are waiting for some central planning, advice from above, and a supply side economy to enable your entrepreneurial innovation journey, we need to talk. LinksCaffe Genius Hompage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoLVCVA Research https://www.lvcva.com/research/

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: Vegas, we have a problem. It probably started 100 years ago, and it most definitely got worse in 2025. We are not talking about quite what you might be thinking, but close. LinksCaffe Genius Hompage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoApollo 13 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_13Feynman Challenger Article https://calteches.library.caltech.edu/3570/1/Feynman.pdfFeynman Appendix https://www.nasa.gov/history/rogersrep/v2appf.htm

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: I have spoken of the Colaboratory notion in a previous episode, now that our new year has commenced, the time has come to deploy this scenario and see what happens. LinksCaffe Genius Hompage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugo

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: The final full week of 2025, seems like a fine time to publish an episode looking back not at the episodes of the year, but how we have seen the Entrepreneurial Innovation Ecosystem evolve, for better or worse. LinksCaffe Genius Hompage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugo

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: The calendar year is nearly ended and a new one soon to begin, the world is in its current state, as is your neighborhood, if you are working on something novel on a small team of co-founders or maybe on your own, it is entirely possible that you find yourself stalled. Let’s talk about it. LinksCaffe Genius Hompage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugo

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: There has been a lot made of the Soft Summer and the general slowing of tourism and all that entails for Vegas, to the point where people are a little bit worried about the economy in general. What about we entrepreneurial innovators, how are we doing and how are we coming along? LinksCaffe Genius Hompage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoF1 Year 3 News https://lasvegassun.com/news/2025/dec/10/f1s-las-vegas-grand-prix-success-exposes-need-for/OKRs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Objectives_and_key_resultsKPIs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performance_indicator

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: This plan was originally Initiative 2025 from back in Episode 0097, we can review that Initiative and tune it up in this original episode for the next attempt at getting this going for 2026… LinksCaffe Genius Hompage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugo

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: Sure, it is Black Friday, but here in Nevada, our state holiday is Family Day, a day for the whole family to go out shopping and get those discounts, or something like that. Keeping it brief on this holiday so I can do something similar, let’s catch up on a couple of Ecosystem things. LinksCaffe Genius Hompage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoFamily Day https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_DayNevada Revised Statues for Holidays https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-236.html

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: We talk a lot about the Entrepreneurial Innovation Ecosystem, the so-called Startup Scene, and sometimes Hollywood 2.0 and Global Innovation Hub and a few other things, but it occurs to me after mentioning how little coverage any of this gets in our local press, that those who are not checking the box for Entrepreneur may have no idea what goes off the strip. LinksCaffe Genius Hompage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoSlate on our Most Flailing Destination City https://slate.com/comments/business/2025/11/las-vegas-travel-sphere-hotel-donald-trump.htmlNV Legislature Special Session 2025 https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/36th2025SpecialFilm Incentives Bill Fails https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/nevada-senate-rejects-film-tax-credit-expansion-killing-billLVGEA Key Industries https://lvgea.org/key-industries/ESOs https://www.sec.gov/resources-small-businesses/capital-raising-building-blocks/entrepreneurial-support-organizations

Show NotesHost: Dan HugoSummary: The Halo Effect, Warm Introductions, Low Attention, Lack of Recognition and Celebration, is the Entrepreneurial Innovation Ecosystem benefiting from The Velvet Rope?LinksCaffe Genius Hompage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoLVGEA EDAWN Joint Effort Announcement https://lvgea.org/lvgea-news/edawn-and-lvgea-launch-nevada-economic-developers-association/LVGEA Startup Ecosystem https://lvgea.org/startups/LVGEA Key Industries https://lvgea.org/key-industries/Nevada’s Global Entrepreneur Week 2025 https://gewnevada.com/

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: If you have heard a few episodes of this program, you know I tend not to appreciate labels like “Tech Scene” and “Startup Scene,” they are so over-used but they do have a time and a place in some contexts. Okay then, let’s make an entrepreneurial innovation scene. LinksCaffe Genius Hompage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoScene (as in Subculture) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scene_(subculture)Vegas inc and Cox Top Tech Awards 2025 https://vegasinc.lasvegassun.com/news/2025/oct/23/vegas-inc-and-cox-business-present-the-2025-top-te/WaterStart https://vegasinc.lasvegassun.com/news/2025/nov/03/nevada-turning-water-tech-startups-ideas-into-real/

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: It is Halloween, yes, but today is also another anniversary of Nevada joining the Union, becoming another of these United States. A State Holiday, so we will try to keep it brief on this special day. LinksCaffe Genius Hompage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoNevada Day https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada_DayNevada https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NevadaLas Vegas is Empty By Design https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPnrnJshsoQ

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: It is late in the year to get Initiative 2025 back on track, but we can transition into a second in-person cohort of the Genius Roundtable by starting out online, like we used to back in the pandemic days! LinksCaffe Genius Hompage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoCommunity of Practice https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_of_practiceEntrepreneur in Residence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrepreneur_in_residence

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: If you caught our episode of this program last week (which you can do at any time), you may have noticed interchangeable use of Cohesion and Coherence in the context of a City as a System, also the title of that episode. Today, let us tease those two terms apart. LinksCaffe Genius Hompage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoWhy Some Cities Thrive While Others Struggle: New Study Reveals the Secret Rule Driving U.S. City Growth and Decline https://scitechdaily.com/why-some-cities-thrive-while-others-struggle-new-study-reveals-the-secret-rule-driving-u-s-city-growth-and-decline/Industries That Thrive In Las Vegas https://lvgea.org/key-industries/

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: A region, a city perhaps, which is moving toward diversification is more likely to be successful doing so if it can maintain coherence. What does that mean, and why should this sound familiar? LinksCaffe Genius Hompage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoWhy Some Cities Thrive While Others Struggle: New Study Reveals the Secret Rule Driving U.S. City Growth and Decline https://scitechdaily.com/why-some-cities-thrive-while-others-struggle-new-study-reveals-the-secret-rule-driving-u-s-city-growth-and-decline/Industries That Thrive In Las Vegas https://lvgea.org/key-industries/

Show Notes Host: Dan Hugo Summary: Solopreneur, something that has come up only infrequently but going solo is not unpopular, and is in fact something to consider very seriously here in Greater Vegas as the Ecosystem orients itself. Do you solopreneur? LinksCaffe Genius Hompage https://caffegenius.orgHOST Profile Page Linking Everything https://www.buymeacoffee.com/danhugoWhat is a Solopreneuer? https://www.uschamber.com/co/start/startup/what-is-solopreneur