Governments

Entrepreneurship is the most efficient growth policy a government can have.

Your nation already has the talent, the ideas, and the ambition. Global Entrepreneurship Week helps you unlock it — activating the problem solvers governments are missing, and letting you say clearly to your population and the world: Entrepreneurs thrive here.

 

Become a Partner  or  See How It Works

200

countries participating

10M+

people reached globally

40,000

events worldwide

$128M

in financial impact generated


THE ECONOMIC CASE

The more entrepreneurs an economy has, the stronger it is.

Entrepreneurship and small business formation are the most powerful levers governments have for job creation, economic resilience, and inclusive growth.

90%

of employment globally comes from entrepreneurs and SMEs

World Bank

16

jobs created by SMEs for every 10 jobs created by large firms

OECD

"Economic growth is being slowed by demography, debt, and discord — progress will come only through the ingenuity of private enterprise."

World Bank Business Ready Report


THE OPPORTUNITY

The problem is, most potential founders don't know they are one.

In every country, millions of people have the ideas and ambition to build something but have never seen entrepreneurship as a path available to them. That gap is not inevitable. It is a policy opportunity with a measurable return on investment.

34.1M

more entrepreneurs would exist in the OECD if all groups were as active in business creation as men aged 30–49*

73%

of those missing entrepreneurs are women — held back by fear of failure, skills gaps, and lack of access to finance and networks. The gender gap alone represents trillions in untapped economic potential*

65M

young people unemployed worldwide today — a cohort that entrepreneurship support is uniquely positioned to reach**

*OEDC

**ILO


POSITION YOUR COUNTRY GLOBALLY

Countries that compete for founders attract more capital, more jobs, more growth.

Entrepreneurship isn't just a domestic jobs policy — it's a global competitiveness signal. Founders and investors use visible, benchmarked indicators to choose where to build. Governments that actively cultivate and celebrate their entrepreneurial ecosystems send a message the market can see and respond to.

3–80 days

to register a business — the range across assessed economies. A visible, benchmarked indicator that global founders and investors use to compare countries and decide where to build. GEW signals your country is actively competing for them.

World Bank B-READY

60%

of German unicorns, for example, have at least one immigrant founder — showing what inclusive entrepreneurship policy, actively championed, can unlock. The countries that welcome the widest range of builders produce the most valuable companies.

OECD


THE PATH FORWARD

Entrepreneurs Thrive Here

When your government joins Global Entrepreneurship Week, you're doing more than running events and awareness campaigns. You're adding your nation's voice to a global declaration made by governments, entrepreneur support organizations, and communities in 200 countries simultaneously — that your country is open for builders, that your population's ideas are worth backing, and that entrepreneurs thrive in your economy.

That declaration changes how potential founders see themselves. It changes how investors see your country. And it elevates your country as a destination to watch.


PROVEN OUTCOMES

We're not just raising awareness. We're changing behavior.

Post-event data shows measurable shifts in business formation, confidence, and ecosystem connection among participants.

95% of attendees have started a business or are inspired to — the combined impact rate of a single week's activation.

55% started a business within one year of attending GEW — measurable, lasting economic activity generated in one week.


GOVERNMENTS IN ACTION

Governments around the world are leading the way.

Ministries of economy, trade departments, and regional development agencies worldwide implement Global Entrepreneurship Week as an official national campaign — mobilizing citizens and institutions around a shared economic agenda.

Algeria

Ministry of the Economy, Knowledge, Startups & Micro Enterprises

Delivered under official ministerial patronage, Global Entrepreneurship Week Algeria mobilizes government agencies, universities, incubators, and corporate partners into a single national campaign — reaching a substantial share of the population in one week.

5M+ people reached

31,000+ events

2,000 partners

Germany

Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs & Climate Action / RKW

Germany uses Global Entrepreneurship Week to deliver against multiple policy priorities simultaneously — 600+ events for women founders, 450+ for youth, and dedicated programming on business succession. Multiple agendas, one coordinated week.

1,600+ events

1,200 partners

“Starting a business requires courage, perseverance, and is fraught with uncertainty. Our mission is to provide founders with the best possible support, as we do during the Global Entrepreneurship Week Germany, with advisory services and networking opportunities.”

Michael Kellner Germany’s Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Action.


HOW IT WORKS

A Global Campaign, Locally Owned

GEN sets the global theme and provides you with toolkits full of actionable event and campaign ideas and marketing templates. Your government acts as a national host organization, owning the local activation — tailoring programming to your country's communities, strengths, and policy priorities.

  • Step 01

    Register as a National Host

    Complete this form to be recognized as an official partner in your country, and to access the 2026 campaign toolkit.

  • Step 02

    Localize Your Campaign

    Collaborate with local partners to plan your Global Entrepreneurship Week events and campaigns.

  • Step 03

    Announce Your Campaign With Us

    Communities around the world will announce their campaigns at the same time. Leverage our toolkits to join our global announcement.

  • Step 04

    Activate in November

    Run your events and campaigns, generate earned media, connect your ecosystem — and join 200 countries in a coordinated global moment that amplifies every local effort.


WHAT NATIONAL HOSTS RECEIVE

Inside the Campaign Toolkit

Global Entrepreneurship Week amplifies the work you're already doing — helping you reach new potential entrepreneurs, giving you a global stage, a shared brand, and a coordinated moment that generates media, partnerships, and pipeline.

Global reach, local ownership

You set your national subtheme under the global campaign. Your identity, your priorities, your community — amplified by a coordinated movement across 200 countries.

Production-ready toolkit

Brand guidelines, editable visual templates, event and campaign idea banks, and audience persona guides.

A network of 25,000 ESOs

Every national host joins a worldwide peer network — opening doors to cross-border collaboration, shared learning, and visibility with investors and policymakers.


PARTNER REGISTRATION

Send a clear signal to your population and the world: entrepreneurs thrive here.

Join governments from 200 countries this November. Become a partner, access your toolkit, and activate a nationally coordinated campaign that reaches the founders your economy needs — and shows the world your country is a startup nation.

 

Become a Partner   or   Apply to Become a National Host