The 10th anniversary of the Global Entrepreneurship Congress will soon bring thousands of entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, researchers and entrepreneurship support organizations to a global startup hub -- featuring in-depth sessions and workshops on the latest developments in entrepreneurship from around the world.
GEC 2018, held April 16-19 in Istanbul, Turkey, will take a look at the intersection of mindset, culture and barriers that exist within all entrepreneurship ecosystems. From exponential thinking – exploring how entrepreneurship moves from incremental to truly disruptive innovation – to innovation culture and inclusive entrepreneurship, the Global Entrepreneurship Congress features sessions on leading-edge topics within the space.
Leading into the Congress, one of GEN’s flagship programs, Startup Nations, will be hosting the fourth annual Startup Nations Ministerial. The ministerial will be led by the Steering Committee and will cover topics including governing with dynamic, growth-oriented businesses in mind, the role of government in entrepreneurship ecosystems and how countries can better harness the potential of digital technologies in their ecosystems.
The four-day conference begins with the GEN Global Assembly – which connects the GEN global communities while exploring innovative approaches to empowering entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders, as well as look at new projects the network has in the pipeline. The Global Assembly will be held on Monday, April 16 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with additional sessions on Thursday.
The two largest days feature plenary sessions spotlighting a global collection of entrepreneurs, investors and ecosystem supporters amplified by an impressive collection of 128 parallel sessions -- 64 each on Tuesday and Wednesday -- covering a wide range of topics, including tracks dedicated to: Empowering Emerging Ecosystems; Global Challenges; Entrepreneurial Learning; Scaling Up; Mobilizing Capital; Women's Entrepreneurship; Industry Disruption; Corporate Engagement; Fintech Innovations; Digital Economy; Lifestyle Innovations; and Social Entrepreneurship.
GEN and Startup Genome are releasing the newest edition of the Global Startup Ecosystem Report which provieds a comprehensive look at how regions foster and sustain vibrant startup ecosystems. The report authors will be available to speak to ecosystem builders and city leaders about how to use the GSER results to improve and strengthen their entrepreneurship ecosystem. Participants in the Tuesday, April 17 session will also have the chance to ask about the process for bringing the survey and analysis to their city or region.
For the first time, the Global Innovation through Science and Technology’s Tech-I startup pitch competition finals will be held at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress. The GIST Tech-I top 10 finalists, as well as 10 program alumni mentors will be attending, and participating in a day of intensive workshops to improve their ideas and practice their pitching skills. The Tech-I finalists hail from eight different countries, including Algeria, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Jordan, Lebanon, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Rwanda. GIST, a U.S. Department of State initiative, empowers young innovators to develop startup solutions that address economic and development challenges. The Tech-I closed pitch workshops will be held on Tuesday, April 17, and the global finals will be Wednesday, April 18, beginning at 11 a.m.
And while entrepreneurs from around the world will be pitching for feedback and prizes, the Kauffman Foundation will be gathering information and input on their digital ecosystem playbook at open workstations throughout Tuesday and Wednesday’s programming. Also in the interactive Kauffman lounge, a video crew will be recording interviews with entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders, and there will be an active learning hub featuring additional content and programming from GEN and the Kauffman Foundation.
During the Congress there will be a meet and greet with the winners and organizers of the first two Startup Nations Policy Hacks, held in Africa in March, and Tallinn, Estonia as part of the 2017 Startup Nations Summit. Policy hack organizers will gather to share their experiences identifying teams, judges and topics for the policy hacks, and participants will also hear from the winners about their solutions and how they have started to implement them. This session will be Wednesday, April 18 from 12 to 1 p.m.
For the fifth year, the United Nations Conference of Trade and Development will host the Empretec Global Summit V, which is a gathering of global business owners who have graduated from the United Nations’ Empretec program. The program aims to teach entrepreneurial skills, and the Empretec Global Summit offers new opportunities and incentives for Empretec graduates to internationalize – with the goal to improve productivity, create cross-border business-to-business linkages, identify potential funding sources and forge new partnerships. The Empretec Global Summit will be Wednesday, April 18 from 2 to 4 p.m.
Space is limited but still available. Visit gec.co to register now.