Over the past decade, the Global Entrepreneurship Network has been catalyzing the entrepreneurship and startup community across more than 170 countries. And despite the upheaval going on in the world amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, startups and small businesses are still our best hope to recover and rebuild the economy.
When the organizers behind Global Entrepreneurship Week in Washington, D.C. announced last March that the annual event series for entrepreneurs and startups would go virtual, it might have been hard to envision how the community could come together through computer screens.
Fast forward six months and we are just a few days out from the twelfth annual GEW slated for Nov. 16 to 22. The local celebration series led by SEED SPOT Vice President, Duane Rollins and SUEGO Founder & board, Steven A. Rodriguez are known to attract thousands of attendees for the in-person experiences for their respective organizations. Rodriguez and the GEW DC coalition — Maryann Lombardi, Associate Director, DC Office of Creative Affairs at the Government of the District of Columbia, Gabriel A. Arteaga, CEO and co-founder at Create&, Mollie Q. Coleman, CEO of High Caliber Events — are coordinating and curating more than 50 virtual events for #GEW2020 in a few days.
This year’s conference will be hosted through an exponential lens, with various integrated apps like Eventbrite (registration), Emamo (agenda builder) and Icebreaker (engagement), and events will be live streamed via various interfaces like YouTube Live and Zoom. Through the Icebreaker app attendees will be able to tap into some unique new opportunities for learning, networking, professional development and personal growth. Once registered for the conference, attendees can customize their profile and build their own agenda for the week. The entrepreneur’s time is precious, so carefully decide which events are of interest and will move the needle forward.
#GEW2020 is free to attend and since the conference is virtual, interested entrepreneurs, investors and creatives from all over can register for events in the DC ecosystem and others around the world.
Events at this year’s Global Entrepreneurship Week will be spread across various geographies: Hawaii, North Carolina, Idaho, Washington, and more. The Exponential Organizations visionary Salim Ismail will share on Tuesday, November 17, 1 PM his research on the next wave of market opportunities and the types of businesses to grow and scale with them.
On Monday the Kick-Off in the evening will include an interactive virtual meet-and-greet event where we will have one-on-one conversations with one another. It will be a shockingly fun way to network and connect about our very own experiences with entrepreneurship, it’s like community-speed dating.
Here’s some other cool events taking place at Global Entrepreneurship Week 2020:
- Monday, Nov. 16 — Entrepreneurs Are the Vaccine for Our Economy: an action plan for how we can strengthen entrepreneurs to revive jobs, grow the economy, and build a more prosperous future.
- Tuesday, Nov. 17 — BUILDing our Future Entrepreneurs: A Conversation on Youth Entrepreneurship: a conversation about the importance of youth entrepreneurship.
- Tuesday, Nov. 17 — Why Exponential Organizations Are Vital: base understanding of exponential technologies, organizational structure for the 21st Century and core components of the Exponential Organizations movement.
- Tuesday, Nov. 17 — How They Built It: Inspiring Stories From Social Entrepreneurs: what it takes to build an impact-driven venture from some of the most successful social entrepreneurs in Arizona.
- Wednesday, Nov. 18 — How Startups Thrive in the New Normal: how startups can thrive in the new normal, adapt to the shifting go-to-market strategies, and keep up with our accelerating digital world.
- Grow and Accelerate Your Business Processes with Notion: using Notion to manage company functions like product management and sales.
- Thursday, Nov. 19 — 202Creates Masterclass: Music and Activism: discussing music and activism with Raheem Devaughn, musician, and activist.
- Thursday, Nov. 19 — Small Business and Mental Health: a conversation about how the Pandemic has impacted the mental health of creatives and entrepreneurs. Learn about programs and support available to District residents.
- Thursday, Nov. 19 — Content Marketing Strategies That Build Audience and Convert: use content to compel potential customers to give you their contact info making them a prospect.
- Friday, Nov. 20 — Growing and Scaling an Inclusive D.C. Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: what current public-private partnerships are working best, discover potential new opportunities, and plan for a new path forward.
- Friday, Nov. 20 — CMX Connect: State of Community: discuss the state of community amidst the new normal, focusing on key learnings from CMX Summit 2020.
- Friday, Nov. 20 — How to Work With the Department of Defense as a Startup: covering the best practices, common pitfalls, and potential avenues for working with the US Defense base as a startup.
- BONUS: Monday, Nov. 23 — Fundraising Strategies: effectively carry-out an equity fundraise from equity investors, whether they're friends & family, angels or even venture capitalists.
The conference normally launches with a Techstars Startup Weekend demo (pitch) day, but this year’s “Shark Tank” style pitch competition will be through the Startup of the Year Summit.
As part of GEW DC, SEED SPOT and SUEGO are partnering with Start Us Up: America’s New Business Plan to host a Policy and the People session, and Kauffman Foundation to host the nationally-renown FastTrac program, respectively.