GEC 2023: Transform Your World.
The world’s entrepreneurial landscape is shifting, yet again.
People are more closely linked than any other time in history, sharing concerns about health, economic uncertainty and geopolitical disruption. Hopes of a return to consistent, predictable growth, and daily life as we knew it, will not be met any time soon.
But these are the conditions under which entrepreneurs thrive. Risk, disruption and unpredictable markets are part of the DNA of quick-thinking value-creators who make big, calculated bets to solve even bigger problems.
All this points in one direction – forward.
Vibrant, scalable, and high-performing startup ecosystems have the power to transform global ecosystems, infrastructure and communities. It’s time to build sustainable, resilient connections between entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers and community leaders from across the world.
Join thousands of voices from 200+ countries in September for GEC 2023: Transform Your World. Together, we’re kick-starting a new era of vision-casting, collaboration and collective action to solve global challenges, create long-lasting growth and make people’s daily lives better.
DAY 1
Opening Ceremony: Transforming Our World, Together
From the beating heart of Oceania's thriving entrepreneurship ecosystem, leaders from around the world and across Australia will give an official welcome to delegates hailing from 200 countries and all six Australian states. The Opening Ceremony will kick off a four-day program to share transformational ideas, inspire new ones, and connect the people — founders, investors, researchers, policymakers, and ecosystem builders — driving them.
Plenary Sessions
Opening day plenary sessions will feature global brands and powerful voices.
Startup Nations Ministerial
The annual Startup Nations Ministerial serves as an invaluable global platform for governments prioritizing innovation, technology and entrepreneurship. Government leaders from across the development spectrum will engage in dialogue around their experiences with a wealth of policy approaches to increase economic growth and job creation by empowering entrepreneurs and innovators.
GEN Global Assembly Part 1: Why 2023 Is the Year of Entrepreneurial Transformation, Action and Impact
Entrepreneurship is percolating everywhere, with founders in every country transforming the world as we know it. Leaders who have tested, researched and exemplified its power and impact will share the global state of entrepreneurship and cutting-edge initiatives to support and empower new entrepreneurs - punctuated by stories from founders themselves who are disrupting their fields and what it means to be an entrepreneur in 2023.
Welcome Reception
Join colleagues and friends for a warm welcome to Melbourne and the Global Entrepreneurship Congress. Delegates can attend at no additional cost, but must register their attendance.
DAY 2
Parallel Sessions
Informative sessions powered by leading organizations outlining new models, concepts, initiatives and data-based solutions to solving entrepreneurial ecosystem challenges.
- Masterclasses: One-directional lectures from global experts on a variety of topics such as How to Reduce Risk Before Presenting Your Startup Idea to Investors.
- Workshops: Hands-on exercises that encourage delegates to take specific practices or outputs back home. These workshops are tailored for entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs). For example: Monitoring and Evaluation Best Practices for Entrepreneur-Support Programs or Building an Alternative Funding Roadmap
- Panels: Experience-sharing among 3-5 speakers from different nations to discuss still-unresolved topics such as Inclusiveness in Entrepreneurship Ecosystems or Sector Exploration.
- Learning Hubs + Meetups: Highly-interactive, camp-fire type sessions to dive deeper into specific topics and encourage a participatory discussion on topics such as Research You Should Know, Developing Corporate-Startup Collaboration and/or Q&A Sessions with Plenary Speakers and Experts.
- One-to-One Mentoring: Exclusive opportunities for entrepreneurs and stakeholders to get advice from world-class mentors.
Startup Nations Summit
The Startup Nations Summit is a gathering of policymakers and experts responsible for driving the creation and adoption of smarter policies and public sector-driven programs to accelerate entrepreneurial activity in their economies. It serves as a platform for governments setting new global standards for regulatory policies and programs to enable entrepreneurship and innovation.
Other Members-only Summits
Similar to the Startup Nations Summit, these invitation-only gatherings allow stakeholders interfacing in specific ecosystem platforms to exchange knowledge and build initiatives to help build one global entrepreneurial ecosystem.
GEN Compass Awards Ceremony (Invite Only)
Held annually during the Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC), the Compass Awards recognize the teams, organizations, and institutions who have made a valuable contribution to strengthening entrepreneurship ecosystems at the local, regional and national level in 200 countries – connecting their entrepreneurs globally to fuel their growth.
DAY 3
Parallel Sessions
Informative sessions powered by leading organizations outlining new models, concepts, initiatives and data-based solutions to solving entrepreneurial ecosystem challenges:
- Masterclasses: One-directional lectures from global experts on a variety of topics such as How to Reduce Risk Before Presenting Your Startup Idea to Investors.
- Workshops: Hands-on exercises that encourage delegates to take specific practices or outputs back home. These workshops are tailored for entrepreneur support organizations (ESOs). For example: Monitoring and Evaluation Best Practices for Entrepreneur-Support Programs or Building an Alternative Funding Roadmap
- Panels: Experience-sharing among 3-5 speakers from different nations to discuss still-unresolved topics such as Inclusiveness in Entrepreneurship Ecosystems or Sector Exploration.
- Learning Hubs + Meetups: Highly-interactive, camp-fire type sessions to dive deeper into specific topics and encourage a participatory discussion on topics such as Research You Should Know, Developing Corporate-Startup Collaboration and/or Q&A Sessions with Plenary Speakers and Experts.
- One-to-One Mentoring: Exclusive opportunities for entrepreneurs and stakeholders to get advice from world-class mentors.
Other Members-only Summits
Similar to the Startup Nations Summit, these invitation-only gatherings allow stakeholders interfacing in specific ecosystem platforms to exchange knowledge and build initiatives to help build one global entrepreneurial ecosystem.
DAY 4
GEN Global Assembly: Part 2
Key members of GEN’s global community – those leading national affiliates, developing national operations, or running global programs and initiatives at national or local levels – will convene to discuss national planning for GEN operations. Delegates will share new information, adjust their strategic plans and brainstorm detailed next steps. Topics of discussion will include how to engage stakeholders, communications and storytelling, metrics and data, and revenue and building sustainable operations.