Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Days 5-7
DAYS FIVE - SEVEN
A New Transatlantic Bridge Launches During Global Entrepreneurship Week
StartMidwest
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Global Entrepreneurship Week spans more than 200 countries each year. But this particular event brings together two hubs that often see themselves as underdogs: the American Midwest - known for its manufacturing strength, pragmatic operators, and undervalued investment landscape - and European ecosystems - which despite their rich history and generations of business success is slighted as a place that can’t build world-changing companies. The lineup features representatives from Finland, Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Turkey, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, the UK/Cyprus, and more, alongside Midwest organizations.
Just Funded: AltCap Your Biz Cycles Trio of Winners from KC’s Diverse Hospitality Scene
Startland News
Kansas City
Persistence pays off, said Ruben Alonso, celebrating a decade of the AltCap Your Biz Pitch Competition and its role as an energy boost for Kansas City small businesses. The latest winning founders walked away with $60,000 in checks Wednesday at Union Station. Two of this year’s top three winners were returning finalists, the AltCap CEO said, bringing sharper pitches, refined strategies, and fresh momentum to the stage. Judges took notice, rewarding not just strong ideas, but founder growth, he added.
Sepulveda: I know how humbling it is to apply for food stamps
Rio Grande Guardian
McAllen, Texas
Harlingen Mayor Norma Sepulveda says her experience working as a bartender and as a server in a restaurant when she was younger have helped her relate to the constituents she now serves. Sepulveda shared her personal story when appearing at a “Mayors in Motion: Leadership & Entrepreneurship” event co-hosted by UT-Rio Grande Valley and One Million Cups. The other mayor to speak at the event was Brownsville’s John Cowen, Jr. Both explained the challenges they faced growing up in South Texas. The event, held at the eBridge Center in downtown Brownsville, celebrated Global Entrepreneurship Week.
Vincennes Recognized During Global Entrepreneurship Week
Giant FM
Vincennes, Indiana
Indiana Governor Mike Braun joined Hoosier entrepreneurs and small businesses yesterday at the Indiana Statehouse to recognize their significant impact on the state’s economy and communities. At the event, held in conjunction with Global Entrepreneurship Week, Gov. Braun released the fourth edition of Entrepreneurship Indiana, an annual yearbook showcasing Indiana’s entrepreneurial spirit.
‘Backbone of the Economy’: North Texas Child Care Leaders Stress Workforce Role
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Fort Worth, Texas
Local child care providers underscored their role as the workforce behind the workforce during a panel discussion this week that was part of Global Entrepreneurship Week North Texas. Owners and operators of child care programs across Dallas-Fort Worth gathered on Thursday night at Spark, a coworking space in Arlington, to share insights on how their sector serves the economy as a whole while outlining what obstacles they face alongside families in need of care and early childhood education. Texas is estimated to be losing out on $9.4 billion annually because of child care woes, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
DAY FOUR
Innovation Check(s): Angels Scout Potential KC Investments at NXTUS Nano-pitch Event
Startland News
Kansas City
A startup showcase Tuesday in the heart of Johnson County’s innovation community put impact on display as NXTUS’ Accelerate Venture Partners organized a nano-pitch event for its network of angel investors amid Global Entrepreneurship Week-Kansas City festivities. The Wichita-based entrepreneurial support organization — which has mobilized over $8.5 million for entrepreneurs in the Heartland since 2018 — brought KC Capital Day to Aspiria NOW on the former Sprint campus. The event spotlighted startups Scout and Likarda, recognized this year’s Accessing Growth Capital Series cohort, and gathered ecosystem builders, corporate partners, and supporters of early-stage innovation.
Global Entrepreneurship Week ROC Helps Entrepreneurs Grow, Connect
Spectrum News
Rochester, New York
Entrepreneurs across Upstate New York are getting a chance to learn, connect and grow their ideas during Global Entrepreneurship Week Rochester — part of a worldwide movement supporting business owners at every level. People from across the region are showing up to find mentorship, resources, and motivation — no matter where they are in their business journey. Entrepreneurs traveled from Buffalo, Syracuse, and even downstate to attend. Many say it’s the energy — being surrounded by people who understand the ups and downs — that makes this week stand out.
Entrepreneurial Meet-up Crowd During Global Entrepreneurship Week
The Sentinel
Lewiston, Pennsylvania
The Juniata River Valley Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC), hosted a highly successful Entrepreneurial Meet-Up, drawing a diverse group of attendees. The event was held at Shy Bear Brewing in Lewistown as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, an international celebration of innovators and job creators who launch startups and bring new ideas to life which runs from Nov. 17-23.
Jason and Jennifer Ufema, owners of Shy Bear Brewing, served as hosts for the evening. Longtime supporters of the Chamber and champions of the local business community, the Ufemas have regularly opened their facility for entrepreneurial gatherings and are faithful participants in the meetups.
Keystone Launching Corporate Engagement Accelerator to Boost Low-friction Startup Collabs
Startland News
Kansas City
Kansas City’s entrepreneurial ecosystem gets its fair share of positive press thanks to a decade of momentum, Kevin McGinnis noted, but the region’s ability to scale innovative ideas to their potential remains stalled because corporations and startups lack an easy on-ramp for collaboration. Keystone’s solution: a new accelerator program called Corporate Connections that is set to include reverse pitch events and mentorship opportunities to help high-growth startups find enterprise partners.
NC IDEA Ecosystem Summit Celebrates 20 Years of “This Thing of Ours”
Grep Beat: Triangle Tech and Beyond!
Durham, North Carolina
The 2025 NC IDEA Ecosystem Summit took place on Monday and Tuesday as one of the highlights of a statewide spattering of events tied into Global Entrepreneurship Week. This year’s summit doubled as a celebration of 20 years of the NC IDEA Foundation’s “#ecosysteming” work. The two-day event served up a packed agenda showcasing founders, funders, supporters, combinations thereof, and one former presidential candidate. By and large, the collection of speakers and panelists managed to do an excellent job of simultaneously celebrating entrepreneurial progress and successes and speaking to the support that’s still needed to fuel statewide growth.
DAY THREE
Toast Awards $150,000 to Restaurant 'Changemakers' Fighting Local Food Insecurity
The Globe and Mail
Canada
Toast announced the 15 grant recipients of the Toast Changemakers Program, an initiative celebrating restaurants across the United States who have built exemplary programs and initiatives to address food insecurity in their communities. The Toast Changemakers Program launched in September 2025 as part of Toast’s $5 million, five-year global commitment to combating food insecurity. Open to any eligible restaurant or food service business in the United States addressing food insecurity and hunger relief, over 800 applications were submitted, and the grant recipients were selected through a rigorous review process in collaboration with program partners Hello Alice and Global Entrepreneurship Network.
Governor Braun Touts New Initiatives for Hoosier Startups
WIBC/93.1 FM
Indianapolis, Indiana
Governor Mike Braun recognized Global Entrepreneurship Week, highlighting new state initiatives and data that underscore Indiana’s rise as a premier location for starting and growing a business. Governor Braun, himself a Main Street entrepreneur, celebrated the progress by pointing to key new state efforts. “We’re working to make Indiana the best place in the country to start and grow a business,” said Governor Braun. “With the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Power Up Indiana, READI 2.0 and our new jobs-and-wages centered economic development model, we’re well on our way to achieving that goal this Global Entrepreneurship Week.”
Startup Funding Shifts to Quality Over Quantity in Columbus + Beyond
Axios Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
For Global Entrepreneurship Week, we're checking in on Columbus' quest to become a thriving technology hub. The Columbus startup scene is seeing money flow toward larger deals — especially those involving AI companies. Deal counts are trending lower nationally, but average fundraising rounds are up, says Tom Walker, CEO of Rev1, a Columbus-based and Ohio-funded venture development studio.
Governor Mike Braun Highlights the Importance of Small Businesses During 'Global Entrepreneurship Week'
WTHI-TV
Terre Haute, Indiana
Indiana Governor Mike Braun is celebrating Hoosier businesses during 'Global Entrepreneurship Week' (GEW). The goal of GEW is to celebrate entrepreneurs' successes across the world, and Indiana has good reason to celebrate. Governor Braun tells News 10 that by embracing tech-friendly policies and incentives, the state will begin to draw in even more startups. In short, the more tech related infrastructure the state can build, the easier it will be to take small businesses to the next level. "We want to make sure that small businesses have all of those (tech) advantages," Braun says. "That is why we will help in all of the ways we can to make sure they have access to it, help them with it, and that is how we take our state to the next horizon."
WT Enterprise Center celebrates Global Entrepreneurship Week
Plainview Herald
Amarillo, Texas
Local businesspeople can learn from experts in artificial intelligence, branding, marketing and more during the WT Enterprise Center's Global Entrepreneurship Week activities. The events will include "workshops, panels and community gatherings meant to inspire, educate and connect entrepreneurs across the Texas Panhandle," said Gina Woodward, Executive Director of the WT Enterprise Center at West Texas A&M University.
Pantheon Kicks Off Global Entrepreneurship Week with Coffee + Collab
Vincennes Sun-Commercial
Vincennes, Indiana
Entrepreneurs and community members gathered at The Pantheon to kick off Global Entrepreneurship Week with a “Coffee and Collab” event, Monday morning. Kimberly Fourman, director of programming and development, explained that The Pantheon would be celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week Nov. 17-23 and hosting different events each day to recognize the efforts of small business owners and creative people. The first event was “Coffee and Collab,” where Knox County Commissioner Kellie Streeter and Vincennes Mayor Joe Yochum attended and declared Global Entrepreneurship Week in Vincennes with a signed proclamation.
DAY TWO
World Cup Readiness Event Opens City Hall to Entrepreneurs Hoping to Get on the Roster
Kansas City
Startland News
Kansas City wants to score as many points as possible when the FIFA World Cup arrives in 2026, said Janá Wagner, emphasizing that a special event planned Tuesday during GEWKC aims to get businesses into the game now — playbook in hand. "Our goal is to help as many entrepreneurs as possible get properly licensed, permitted, and fully compliant with KCMO requirements ahead of this once-in-a-generation economic opportunity,” said Wagner, division manager for KC BizCare.
From Northeastern Student to Coffee Executive and Social Impact Leader
Boston, Massachusetts
Northeastern University
When Helen Russell studied in Snell Library on Northeastern’s Boston campus nearly four decades ago, she never imagined she’d one day return as the co-founder of a $35 million coffee empire, or that she’d be fueling the entrepreneurial dreams of future students sitting in those same seats. But Russell is amplifying her impact through her sponsorship of Brewing Connections, a Northeastern networking series launching during the university’s Global Entrepreneurship Week in November 2025. The initiative brings together students, alumni, and entrepreneurs over university-sponsored coffee chats—fueled by Equator’s Legacy Blend—to foster meaningful conversations.
10 Top Event Picks for GEWKC; Build Your Own Schedule from 60+ Sessions
Kansas City
Startland News
With dozens of events on the calendar for GEWKC, Union Station will be bustling with activity, said Callie England, noting organizers intentionally curated a week where attendees can’t go wrong — no matter how they fill out their itinerary. “While the schedule can feel full, it’s truly the best of the best,” said England, director of Global Entrepreneurship Week-Kansas City for KCSourceLink, which has organized the event since 2008.
UK Arts Administration Hosts 8th Annual Fish Tank: Emerging Entrepreneurs in the Arts
Lexington, Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky’s Department of Arts Administration will host its 8th annual Fish Tank: Emerging Entrepreneurs in the Arts. Hosted in partnership with Awesome Inc and aligned with Global Entrepreneurship Week, Fish Tank transforms the classroom into a live pitch competition where students from the Arts Entrepreneurship course present their final project ideas to a panel of selected judges, faculty, peers and members of the community. Each team has five minutes to pitch their concept and will then answer questions from a panel of judges with professional experience in entrepreneurship, social innovation and entertainment management.
KC Favorites Eye World Cup: How to Become 'The Spot' for Visitors without Losing KC Flavor
Kansas City
Startland News
Even a visitor can become a repeat customer, said Dulcinea Herrera, stressing the importance of Kansas City businesses making their establishments a destination — not just a one-time stopover or accidental find — for international fans and other out-of-town guests when the FIFA World Cup arrives next summer. “At the end of the day, you want people to walk into your store and you want that transaction to be very seamless and fast and easy, so they keep coming back,” said Herrera, speaking during a panel conversation on the first day of base camp programming for GEWKC in the Planetarium at Union Station. “Then you are their spot for when they stay here in Kansas City.”
DAY ONE
Kansas City Sees Surge in Global Entrepreneurship Week Turnout
Kansas City
KMBC News (ABC)
Kansas City is celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week with a surge of new interest from people hoping to launch their own businesses. Organizers in Kansas City say this year’s turnout has been one of their biggest yet. Registration jumped 50 percent compared to last year, a spike they believe is tied to more people exploring entrepreneurship during a turbulent economic moment.
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Tulsa City-County Library Kicks Off Global Entrepreneurship Week
Tulsa, Oklahoma
FOX23
The Tulsa City-County Library kicked off its Global Entrepreneurship Week programming with three events on Monday. FOX23 went to the ‘BlueCareer 101’ program at Central Library. This program was designed to help patrons learn to navigate the online resource database, BlueCareer. The site gives users information on skilled trades and career transitions and provides patrons with the tools needed to find their next job opportunity. “We love getting to host these classes, we love that they are free, we love that we can offer them to everybody,” said Community Development Librarian Aubrey Naiman. “We are really excited, and we hope that people will join us.”
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City of Charlotte to Host Global Entrepreneurship Week
Charlotte, North Carolina
City of Charlotte
The Queen City’s entrepreneurial spirit will shine bright later this month in celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) in Charlotte with more than 20 events across the city Nov. 17-23. In recognition of the city's growing innovation economy, Mayor Vi Lyles has officially proclaimed Nov. 17–23 as Global Entrepreneurship Week in Charlotte. “Global Entrepreneurship Week is a celebration of our city’s entrepreneurial spirit and a reminder of how far we’ve come,” Lyles said. “This year’s global theme, ‘Together We Build,’ reflects the power of collaboration in shaping Charlotte’s future. Whether you're launching a startup or simply curious about the journey, this week is an invitation to plug in, learn and take pride in the success stories being written here in our city.”
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Memphis Ignites Innovation with Global Entrepreneurship Week Celebrations and Mayoral Proclamation
Memphis, Tennessee
Hoodline.com
As the specter of innovation looms large over Memphis, the city stands at the precipice of Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), officially ushered in with a proclamation from Mayor Paul A. Young. During the week of November 17 to 23, which has been declared Entrepreneurship Week in Memphis by the Mayor, the city will host a series of events aimed at empowering local entrepreneurs and small businesses, as the City of Memphis website detailed.
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Penn State Berks to Host Global Entrepreneurship Week Events
Reading, Pennsylvania
Berks Community Television
Penn State Berks will host a variety of events during Global Entrepreneurship Week at Penn State 2025, kicking off Friday, Nov. 14, and running through Friday, Nov. 21. Events are sponsored by the college’s Flemming Creativity, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development (CEED) Center and Berks LaunchBox in downtown Reading. Global Entrepreneurship Week at Penn State is a collaboration between the University and local communities through partnerships that promote a spirit of innovation. Events include lectures, networking, and workshops, and some require advanced registration.
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