The Global Entrepreneurship Network has played a role in fostering entrepreneurial growth in Kosovo for more than 10 years, mobilizing local founders, ecosystem leaders, government officials and corporate partners each November through Global Entrepreneurship Week.
Five years after declaring its independence, Kosovo first celebrated GEW in 2013 -- thanks to Innovation Centre Kosovo, the host organization responsible for running the campaign. ICK was founded one year prior, in 2012, to advance entrepreneurship and innovation while supporting startups and existing companies with the potential to scale.
During that first campaign, 3,500 people took part in 13 events with 16 organizations signing up as partners. In the time since, the campaign has exploded in size, now exceeding 100 events each November.
Under the leadership of Uranik Begu, then the executive director of ICK (currently, chairman of the board), the GEW Kosovo campaign quickly established global recognition for its ability to run a high-end communications campaign to build buzz and amplify brand awareness. In 2016, ICK received the GEN Compass Award for Brand Champions -- awarded to the organization that best embodies and reflects the GEN brand in a positive visual to increase awareness way while implementing impactful initiatives.
But beneath the shiny surface of campaign collateral, one of the primary reasons for the campaign’s growth was ICK’s ability to secure support from government officials and agencies. President Vosja Osmani has been a consistent supporter of GEW Kosovo since she took office in 2021. She was also instrumental in supporting Kosovo’s participation in GEN’s Startup Nations Summit in 2022.
"Despite the fact that both in Kosovo and around the world these are difficult times, Global Entrepreneurship Week, with a special skill, transforms into a festive week that focuses on the union of innovative minds, courageous individuals, inspiring personalities, and girls and boys who want to turn their ideas into concrete and successful initiatives," President Osmani said in launching the GEW campaign in 2022.
She also acknowledged ICK for bringing GEW celebrations to life.
"While it is well known that November is a month of holidays for us in Kosovo, ICK and its partners have worked hard over the past ten years to make November a reference month for innovation, the growth of the ICT sector, the development and management of startups, as well as a month when potential investors, collaborators, and financiers turn their attention to Kosovo in order to see the possibility of developing projects and new collaborations in the field."
Kosovo’s entrepreneurial landscape has evolved rapidly and GEW Kosovo has emerged as a dynamic force in the region, connecting Kosovo’s entrepreneurial community to global opportunities and resources.
"Our societies are constantly evolving," said President Osmani. "At the core of this evolution has always been entrepreneurship, the desire to do things better and the commitment to improve the standards of life for as many people as possible on the planet we live on."