Crossing the Cactus - by David C Blivin (Paperback)

About the Book

In the shadow of tech giants like Silicon Valley and Boston, communities worldwide struggle to retain their best innovations and talent. Crossing the Cactus reveals how any region can build a sustainable technology ecosystem by understanding the three critical ingredients for success: great ideas, great people, and capital.

Book Synopsis

In Crossing the Cactus, veteran venture capitalist Dave Blivin tackles one of the most persistent challenges in economic development: how to build successful technology ecosystems in regions outside established hubs like Silicon Valley and Boston. While breakthrough innovations emerge from universities and research facilities worldwide, most communities lack the resources to commercialize these ideas locally. The result? Talent and technologies migrate to resource-rich centers, leaving their communities of origin behind.

Drawing on three decades of experience funding early-stage companies, Blivin reveals his fundamental insight: when communities strategically align the three key ingredients--great ideas, experienced management, and sufficient capital--they can create sustainable technology-based economic growth anywhere.

Through compelling case studies including Skorpios Technologies and Bayotech, Blivin demonstrates how regions can identify their unique strengths, attract management talent, and implement funding strategies that keep promising ventures rooted locally. He examines successful ecosystem models like Ohio's Third Frontier and Pennsylvania's Ben Franklin Technology Partners, offering practical frameworks adaptable to any region's circumstances.

Whether you're an economic development professional, investor, entrepreneur, or policymaker, Crossing the Cactus provides an actionable roadmap for transforming resource-limited regions into thriving centers of innovation, job creation, and prosperity.

Review Quotes

"A useful addition to the entrepreneur's bookshelf."

- Kirkus Indie

"A pioneering work that brims with insight."

- The Book Commentary

"A clear call to stop waiting for the perfect conditions and instead start creating them."

- BookLife by Publishers Weekly

"A wonderfully polished and professional guide that goes a long way in its pitch-perfect writing style to communicate even the more complicated areas with clarity and ease."

- Readers' Favorite

"Demystifies the processes of building successful technological ecosystems."

- Foreword Clarion

"Thoughtful and clear-eyed."

- IndieReader

"Dave's book is a master class in building transformational ecosystems. His ability to identify key principles allows the reader to position any community or company for tech commercialization success. This book provides a practical roadmap for leaders to implement these key principles. His own investing success gives us confidence to act on these important insights!"
-- Erik J. Anderson
Founder, Westriver Group; CEO, Singularity University

"For any economic development professional outside of Silicon Valley, Crossing the Cactus is a must read. In corporate venture we support disruptive innovation worldwide--often outside the traditional innovation centers. 'Hard technologies' are inherently hard--but with the right leadership, ecosystems can be built to provide early support for innovation that will ultimately change the world. As the Managing Partner of Cottonwood Technology Funds, Dave Blivin has first-hand experience in supporting these communities and knowledge of building them, finding and curating innovation, pulling together funding, and ultimately providing the best environment for them to be successful. I would highly recommend all stakeholders in these ecosystems read Crossing the Cactus."
-- Michael Young
Former Director, Caterpillar Ventures

"Crossing the Cactus is a great read on what can happen when communities create the programs and ecosystem needed to support their inherent "Great Ideas" with the necessary capital and management. As the managing partner of Cottonwood Technology Funds, Dave Blivin speaks from experience founding venture firms in three regions rich in innovation but light in money and management. His blueprint for success is insightful and supported by numerous case studies. Read this book!"
-- Brett Kingstone
Founder, SuperVision Intl. and Max King Realty; Author, The Dynamos, The Real War Against America, and The Student Entrepreneur's Guide

"As an innovation ecosystem builder in the Netherlands over the last twenty-five years, most recently with Qutech, I was struck by Dave's vision on investment and its role in developing ecosystems. Cottonwood Technology Fund is a rare example of a fund that helps create ecosystems and value, rather than just use them. This book highlights how this can be applied as a model to anyone around the globe trying to create innovation ecosystems. Great read!"
-- Kees Eijkel
General Director, Qutech, the Quantum institute at TU Delft

About the Author

DAVID BLIVIN is the Founder and Managing Director of Cottonwood Technology Funds, which invests in hard science startups. With over 30 years of experience in technology commercialization, Dave has raised over $300M across multiple funds in the southeast and southwest US, along with northwest Europe, and helped facilitate over $3 billion in enterprise value through strategic funding and ecosystem development.