GEN began operating in Australia in 2008 with the launch of its flagship initiative, Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW). GEW in Australia saw rapid growth in these early years. In 2012, Matt Barrie, the founder of Freelancer.com officially opened the national campaign with the formal support of then-Prime Minister Julia Gillard. During this period, GEN partnered with the FRANK Team, which organized a series of GEW events focused on technology entrepreneurship.
Mapping and Expansion
In 2019, GEN intensified efforts to track the Australia's entrepreneurial development by mapping the ecosystem. In November, more than 520 GEW events took place across all of Australia's states and territories.
GEC Melbourne 2023
In 2023, Australia hosted the Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) for the first time when the event took place in the city of Melbourne. With more 4,000 delegates from 200 countries, participants included entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers and entrepreneurship development experts. GEC Melbourne 2023 featured groundbreaking discussions on the AI and space technology sectors, and overcoming capital flow bottlenecks. Speakers included Mick Fanning and Kelly Slater, who with other experts discussed the mix of policy and programs that are growing entrepreneurship beyond Melbourne and Sydney in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra-Queanbeyan, Gold Coast, Newcastle-Maitland, and Perth.
GEN Australia Launch
GEN Australia was also founded in 2023 as a licensed affiliate of the Global Entrepreneurship Network and officially launched at GEC Melbourne. Building on over a decade of work, GEN Australia focuses on supporting those who enable innovation and entrepreneurship in Australia by building connectivity, capability, and capacity of the innovation ecosystem.
Activities
GEN Australia works with governments, universities, incubators, service providers, and industry peak bodies to align challenges, develop strategies, conduct research and measure impact. It build communities of practice aimed at:
- Providing clarity and understanding;
- Developing connection and connectivity;
- Building capability and capacity;
- Collaborating for purpose; and
- Advocating and promoting sound policy.
This is best achieved through collective impact and aligned effort.
