To celebrate GEW 2012, the United States mobilized partners from all different entrepreneurial ecosystems to hold the most successful celebration yet! From high schools, universities, small business, non-profits, and government organizations over 1,200 partners held activities during GEW. This allowed the US to reach over 260,000 live participants and almost 700,000 virtual participants through various entrepreneurial activities. Most of the 3,469 activities held, focused on skills development and skill training, providing networking and mentoring opportunities, helping to create new startups, and serving as a means of inspiration for participants.
Partners spanning to areas like Puerto Rico, Alaska, and Hawaii, held events during the week, helping us expand our national scope while partners in Louisiana, Kansas, Missouri, California, Tennessee and Texas stood out as exemplary GEW/USA partners. For example, Kansas City, was declared the Capital of GEW/USA, hosting nearly 40 events with the help of the Kauffman Foundation; mobilizing local chambers of commerce, government organizations, universities, and businesses to come together and celebrate. Events featured Demo Days, pitch events, and over 350 people attended “Break a World Record” Speed Networking event, to try and help Kansas City secure a place in the Guinness world record book for the most people attending a business speed networking event in a single venue! Some other highlights from GEW/USA Include:
- For the fourth straight year, President Obama has issued a proclamation naming November, “National Entrepreneurs Month” to coincide with GEW
- GEW/USA partner Georgetown University in Washington, DC kicked off their GEW celebration with musician-turned-activist Bono
- Founder of Tom's shoes, entrepreneur Blake Mycoskie, was a featured keynote speaker at The University of Buffalo in Buffalo, NY
- GEW/USA received special media coverage through its media partnership with CNBC, running week-long promos and featured web content about GEW
- The White House former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, SBA Administrator Karen Mills, and Deputy Secretary of State Thomas Nides opened a GEW event which was streamed live from the White House website
- GEW/USA featured event, GSEA announced their global champion was not only from the USA but the first female winner in EO GSEA’s History-- Chelsea Sloan, founder of Uptown Cheapskate
- Featured event, Startup Weekend, held over 30 weekends nationwide including: Seattle, Lexington, San Diego, San Fransisco, Cleveland, Tampa, Buffalo, Des Moines, Chicago and Honolulu to name a few
- Hugo Gonzales, GEW Regional Coordinator in SoCal, secured proclamations from more than 25 Mayors in Southern California proclaiming the week of November 12-18, as Global Entrepreneurship Week
- Featured event, the Collegiate Invention Competition winners had some impressive tech inventions; Inanc Ortac received the $15,000 graduate first prize for his invention of Nano-Wiffle-Balls for Cancer Therapy
GEW/USA also held a number of other featured events that included: the Startup Open, Tulsa Community College StartUp Cup, DECA Ideas Challenge, and NFTE’s World Series of Innovation. Our featured events hold mass appeal and attract a larger crowd, gain some local and/or national media attention and have been co-branded as a featured event of GEW, incorporating the GEW compass into the event logo, promotional materials and other signage.
GEW/USA 2012 was a national success that exemplified how different states and organizations can come together to ignite entrepreneurial drive within communities and ecosystems. It fostered skill growth, networking and most importantly inspiration towards entrepreneurship. We look forward to working with our existing partners and recruiting new partners to continue to build our campaign in the United States and make 2013 an even greater success!