The hub
playbook
nobody writes.
The DEEP Blueprint Series captures the strategic decisions behind the world's most effective innovation hubs — the choices, trade-offs and breakthroughs that don't fit in a pitch deck. Your hub has been put forward as one of them.
Not a case study.
A blueprint.
Most write-ups about innovation hubs are polished and generic. The Blueprint Series is the opposite: a structured deep-dive into how a hub was actually built, told by the people who built it.
Origin story
How the hub started, who built it, and the founding bet that still shapes every decision.
Strategic decisions
The trade-offs nobody writes about: vertical vs horizontal, equity vs fees, who you said no to.
What actually worked
Honest learnings — programs that moved the needle, ones that didn't, and what you'd repeat.
One conversation.
Four real things back.
800+ hub leaders
Distributed across the DEEP network of ecosystem builders, investors and policy makers.
Full library access
Read every Blueprint in the series — comparable strategic intel from peer hubs.
VIP ticket
An invitation to the DEEP Startup Ecosystem Conference for the hub lead.
Editorial polish
We do the work. You review and approve before anything goes live.
Four steps. That's the whole thing.
-
01
Intro call
15–30 minutes with Thomas Kösters (CEO). He explains the format and answers your questions.
-
02
Blueprint interview
One structured 45–60 min conversation with Jimmy. We bring the questions, you bring the story.
-
03
Draft & review
We write. You edit. Nothing publishes without your green light.
-
04
Publish & distribute
Goes out to the DEEP network and lives in the public Blueprint library.
Hubs being approached for this round include —
Blueprints already published or in production —
Your Blueprint
team.
DEEP Ecosystems is built by a broad team of ecosystem builders, researchers and operators across Europe. The Blueprint Series itself is run directly by Thomas and Jimmy — so the people you meet in the intro and interview are the same people who edit, publish and distribute the piece.
Is there a fee?
No. This is what we do. No cost, no upsell, no commercial angle behind it.
Online or in person?
Fully online. One video call for the intro (15–30 min with Thomas) and one for the interview (45–60 min with Jimmy).
Where does it get published?
On the DEEP member platform (800+ hub leaders, investors and policymakers) and featured in our annual Startupheatmap report.
How much time does this take from our side?
~15–30 min intro + ~45–60 min interview + ~30 min to review the draft. That's it.
Who owns the content?
You do. Nothing goes live without your sign-off — pull a quote, redact a number, or step away at any point.
Why are you doing this for free?
Because the Blueprint Series compounds the network. Every published hub helps the next one build smarter. That's the whole DEEP thesis.
15–30 minutes.
One decision.
Grab 15–30 minutes on Thomas's calendar to walk through the format. If it's a fit, Jimmy schedules the 45–60 min Blueprint interview from there.
Book with Thomas →