The 2014 Global Entrepreneurship Congress, GEW’s annual meeting, is fast approaching and Moscow is preparing to welcome more than 4,000 delegates from 153 countries.
The Congress kicks off on Monday with our annual GEC “Research + Policy Summit.” This year we combine plenary panels on the primary policy issues important to high growth startups with the inaugural meeting of the Global Entrepreneurship Research Network, a new group focused on aligning the worlds primary entrepreneurship research funders to create better informed policymaking and programming. We will also see a meeting of GEW Startup Nations - the global network of policy advisors and startup organizations from around the world focused on government led startup ecosystem improvement.
The “Start + Scale Forum” opening up the second day of the Congress will focus on ground-level issues surrounding a successful startup. We will talk about the latest resources and programs helping entrepreneurs, the latest innovations in early stage financing and some ideas from the best startup communities in the world. From the publishing world we will hear from Amy Cosper, Vice-President & Editor-in-Chief of Entrepreneur Magazine as well as Bob Dorf, Co-Author of The Start-up Owner’s Manual.
From the app and web world, we will hear from Peter Vesterbacka, the Chief Marketing Officer of Rovio Entertainment, better known as the company behind the ever-popular game Angry Birds,Shahar Waiser, the Founder and CEO of GetTaxi and Jeff Hoffman, the Co-Founder of the positioning, design and development firm Colorjar and Priceline.com. Lastly, from the world of tech and computers we will be hearing from Ingrid Vanderveldt, Entrepreneur in Residence at Dell andNatalya Kasperskaya, the Former Chairwoman of Kaspersky Labs.
As in past years, a series of dozens of fringe events will be supplementing the GEC experience for participants. One such event is the two-part “Entrepreneurs who are Heroes” session. During this invitation-only session, a select group of global entrepreneurs who have gained recognition from their local communities for their business success and their contributions to nurturing their local ecosystem will receive practical tools, inspiration and the chance to meet with keynote speakers in an intimate setting.
Co-hosted by LIONS AFRICA and Global Entrepreneurship Week, “Unleashing Entrepreneurship” will focus on the innovation ecosystems of Africa. African innovators will come together to talk the mobile revolution, grassroots programing and coordinated continent-wide ecosystem development efforts.
“Accelerator Models for Global Scaling and Economic Development” is an up to date look at the future of accelerators. The workshop will look at the trends that make a true, interconnected global ecosystem possible, identify strategies each community can use to move from nascent to vibrant, and provide tools and techniques to be utilized in people’s own communities.
Having an entrepreneurial mindset can be invaluable for students today. During GEW’s “The Mindset Project,” participants can gain compelling insight from educator and entrepreneur Gary Schoeniger that challenges old assumptions while redefining the entrepreneurial process.
Also of an educational nature is “Mission Moscow,” an original and innovative initiative designed to nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs. Students at the University of Chester were tasked with turning a £10 investment into the funds needed to travel to the GEC in Moscow. This event is their chance to share their experience in an informal setting.
“Startup Leadership: Critical Skills & Resources” will focus on the role of a startup founder and team. The event will bring together startup entrepreneurs, early-stage investors, representatives of entrepreneurship support organizations and other relevant actors/stakeholders for a discussion with active audience participation.
On Tuesday evening, Indiegogo, the world's largest crowdfunding site, will host an interactive presentation on crowdfunding lead by Liz Wald, Head of International for Indiegogo. The workshop will focus on the benefits of crowdfunding and offer some tips for succeeding.
For those who enjoy experiential learning, “What a Venture: An Online Tool that Helps You to Become an Entrepreneur” will be of interest. The workshop will teach participants how to apply a hands-on method to an existing business model to help participants identify key growth areas as well as to improve business concepts.
At the heart of this and the dozens of other panels and programs that make up the GEC each year is the 2 day Executive Sessions of Global Entrepreneurship Week. GEW is the big tent under which top down and bottom up leaders, whether from the old school or the new or from one political system or another can find common ground in inspiring their fellow citizens to experiment, invent and birth the new. We will be announcing many new partnerships and programs on opening day of the GEC across the globe.
The GEC offers us an incredible opportunity to come together to bring ideas to life, drive economic growth and expand human welfare. I look forward to seeing everyone in Moscow as the historical Manege for what will be a stimulating and productive week.