Global Entrepreneurship Week 2015 in the Czech Republic

 
 
Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) is the largest worldwide event, held also in the Czech Republic, which promotes entrepreneurship from 16 – 22 November 2015. GEW is organized in support of entrepreneurs and start-ups and its activities are supported by many prominent personalities, such as Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Prince Charles, Bronislaw Komorowski or Ivo Josipović, entrepreneurs and business persons as Richard Branson or Muhtar Kent, and also by celebrities such as Bono Vox or Snoop Dogg. In 2014, GEW was held in one hundred and fifty countries all over the world, with eight thousands partner organizations involved, 25 000 events and seven million participants.
The mission of the Global Entrepreneurship Week 2015 is to promote developing potential of emerging and innovative entrepreneurs, to assist with establishing start-ups and to strengthen economic growth of small and medium-sized companies. Within the GEW whole range of activities is organized in order to connect participants with potential colleagues, partners, mentors or investors, and to offer them new possibilities and interesting opportunities. The GEW target groups are primarily emerging entrepreneurs and university students, to whom GEW wants to assist during first steps in business.
The host organization of the Global Entrepreneurship Week in the Czech Republic is European Leadership & Academic Institute (ELAI). In 2013, ELAI held GEW in the Czech Republic for the first time, last year it already coordinated 86 events with more than thirty partner organizations and 3000 participants across the country. GEW 2015 in the Czech Republic was awarded the patronage by Bohuslav Sobotka, Prime Minister of Czech Republic, Pavel Bělobrádek, Deputy Prime Minister for Science, Research and Innovation, than by the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, and also by the cities of Prague, Brno and Ostrava. The goal of the Global Entrepreneurship Week 2015 in the Czech Republic is to motivate people to start business and to help already established companies to grow further. We would also like to support emerging Czech companies in their endeavour to expand to foreign markets.
There will be large number of events held during the Global Entrepreneurship Week 2015 in Czech Republic. The most significant of them is the Global Entrepreneurship Week Summit: From Survivors to Winners, how to successfully expand and grow SMEs or start-ups, held on Thursday 19 November 2015 in Prague Congress Centre. The Summit will be a whole day event with workshops, seminars and a conference with Czech and foreign speakers. There will also be an award ceremony for TOP 10 Czech SMEs and start-ups. Significant part of the Summit will also be Art Meets Business fair, where Czech art and design SMEs and freelancers will present their work portfolios and Business Fair with presentation of interesting Czech companies and start-ups. The Global Entrepreneurship Week Summit will be a great place for networking. All the workshops, fairs and conferences have one goal in common. They aim to connect participants with potential co-workers, partners, investors and mentors.
Regional seminars with theme How to successfully grow you SME / Start-up will be held in Brno, Ostrava and České Budějovice. These seminars will be realized from 18 to 20 of November. The seminar in Brno will be held in JIC (South Moravia Innovation Centre), the one in Ostrava will take place at VIVA Ostrava and Coworking České Budějovice will be hosting the seminar in České Budějovice. The goal of these seminars is for the entrepreneurs and start-upists to learn from each other as there will be representatives of thriving local SMEs and start-ups sharing their tips, advice and their experience from entrepreneurship.
The Global Entrepreneurship Week 2015 in the Czech Republic is also for students, who are innovative and try to find new inspiration. European Leadership & Academic Institute will be organizing Students to Students panel discussion. This event will be held on Wednesday 18 November 2015 at the University of Economic in Prague. Students and graduates who already have their own businesses will be talking to students who are eager to start their own and are in need of useful advice. The goal of the panel discussion is to share experience with starting a business, to talk about the potential risks, but mainly to motivate fellow students to become entrepreneurs and start-upists.
Global Entrepreneurship Week 2015 is not just the events listed here, but many other activities hosted by partner organizations all over the Czech Republic. Would you like to get involved and be part of the largest event supporting entrepreneurship? Do not hesitate and contact Johana Vamberská from European Leadership & Academic Institute at vamberska@elai.cz. For more information, follow our web page www.tydenpodnikani2015.cz, where you can also register for the Global Entrepreneurship Week Summit and other activities during GEW or follow us on Facebook.