Washington, D.C. – November 14, 2024 – Thousands of organizations will mark Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) November 18-24 by hosting events to celebrate, empower and inspire entrepreneurs. The theme for the 17th annual campaign is "Entrepreneurship is for Everyone," with activities planned across the country and around the world to encourage more people to explore the path of entrepreneurship.
"Inspired by communities of entrepreneurs and support organizations before them, people from all walks of life are now being introduced to how teams solve problems and create opportunities for themselves and their communities," said Jonathan Ortmans, president of the Global Entrepreneurship Network and cofounder of Global Entrepreneurship Week. "As digital tools and founder supports become more readily available, it is becoming easier to test ideas and find help to bring those ideas to reality. Global Entrepreneurship Week invites you to explore this potential for yourself."
Each November, 10 million people take part in tens of thousands of activities, competitions and events during Global Entrepreneurship Week that inspire and provide the knowledge, experience, and connections they need to succeed as entrepreneurs.
This year, the movement will be celebrated at 40,000 events during the week and beyond including at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, the G20 Social Summit in Brazil, and the SME Assembly in Budapest, Hungary. Thousands of events are taking place across the United States alone.
The U.S. Small Business Administration ramped up to Global Entrepreneurship Week with its Innovation Ecosystem Summit connecting incubators and labs to universities, accelerators, economic developers and investors to increase access to capital and resources for innovators nationwide.
Global Entrepreneurship Week Highlights across the United States include:
- SBA Innovation Ecosystem Summit: The U.S. Small Business Administration ramped up to Global Entrepreneurship Week with its summit connecting incubators and labs to universities, accelerators, economic developers and investors to increase access to capital and resources for innovators nationwide.
- 1 Million Cups: Entrepreneurs, ecosystem builders and community leaders in more than 100 cities across the United States will convene their 1 Million Cups chapter sessions on Wednesday – providing a supportive space where they can work through business challenges and identify opportunities.
- NC IDEA Ecosystem Summit: NC IDEA is hosting its 6th annual Ecosystem Summit – examining how the state can better support entrepreneurs in an attempt to redefine economic growth and build businesses from the ground up.
- Founder Factory 2024 - Modern Startups and Modern Models: Philly Startup Leaders Founder Factory is back, with the theme of Modern Startups and Modern Models. Founder Factory will feature speakers on multiple diverse funding methods, sales, innovation, business model innovation, and more. Attendees will get a look at new and current ways of doing business, running their startups, funding, and more through an afternoon of 15-minute lightning talks.
These are some U.S. communities to watch this Global Entrepreneurship Week:
- Kansas City: The birthplace of Global Entrepreneurship Week thanks to the Kauffman Foundation, Kansas City sets the bar each year for broad community engagement. This year, highlights include the Launch KC Liftoff grant competition, AltCap Your Biz pitch competition and the UMKC Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.
- Indiana: The state of Indiana, host to next year’s massive Global Entrepreneurship Congress in June, sits atop the state leaderboard with more than 100+ events currently listed on the GEW USA website. Leading the charge are Bloomington and Muncie with 61 events between them alone.
- Penn State: One of the strongest collegiate GEW campaigns year after year is in State College where Penn State University is hosting 41 events during the week – not just on campus but creating town-and-gown connections throughout the community.
- Tallahassee: With over 52 events and counting during GEW, Tallahassee joins the top of the USA leaderboard, among other strong performing cities. With its flagship, a business conference and speaker series, Impact Week Tallahassee will engage innovators, entrepreneurs, and leaders from across the city, region, and state.
Collaborators Across Industries Share Support for Founders During Global Entrepreneurship Week
Global Entrepreneurship Week is organized by the Global Entrepreneurship Network and powered by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation with support from strategic partners.
"We believe the opportunity to start and grow a business can be an amazing pathway to economic mobility for all," said Dr. DeAngela Burns-Wallace, President and CEO of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. "When aspiring, early-stage and established businesses are connected to peer networks, training, tools, and resources, we improve economic conditions for both individuals and communities."
FedEx is also collaborating with GEN during Global Entrepreneurship Week.
"FedEx is thrilled to have the opportunity to help people from all geographies, economies, backgrounds and ability levels explore the transformative power of entrepreneurship," said Jenny Robertson, Senior Vice President of Global Brand and Communications at FedEx. "We know that small and diverse businesses support job growth and global innovation, and that small businesses are the engines of their local economies."
Influencers like Richard Branson, a long-time supporter of Global Entrepreneurship Week, will also lend their voices and share their advice to budding founders throughout the campaign.
"In the same way that my good friend Freddie Laker helped mentor me in the early days of setting up Virgin Atlantic, a good mentor can be a guiding light on your business journey, helping you to spot new opportunities and navigate difficult decisions," said Branson. "if you don’t already have a mentor, make Global Entrepreneurship Week the time to start your search."
To view a list of events and participating organizations, or to learn more about Global Entrepreneurship Week, visit www.gew.co.
Join the conversation online using #GEW2024 and #EntrepreneurshipisforEveryone.