Vibrant, informal networks of nascent entrepreneurs are powering a new wave of startups around the world—washing away barriers to entrepreneurship and enabling others in their wake to unleash their own ideas and turn them into new ventures. At the same time, top-down government efforts to smooth the path for new and young firms are going full throttle. As a result, cities and countries are competing with each other in a race to build the best startup ecosystem on the planet. For the past four years, Global Entrepreneurship Week has fueled that race and is now doing so in 123 countries.
the Dragons. BioFiltro, first developed at the University of Chile, won the Cleantech Open Global Ideas Competition.
Now more than ever, the course is open to anyone willing to take a risk in pursuit of exciting opportunities. This democratization of entrepreneurship is reflected in the latest Global Entrepreneurship Week and the winners of some of its highest-profile competitions.
Looking ahead, Global Entrepreneurship Week promises more cross-border collaboration and activities. This will start with an expanded Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Liverpool in 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2013; more integration with the year-round programs of its core partners; and next-generation initiatives to show even more of the world’s citizens how to bring their ideas to life. I hope you will join us in November.
Ludwick Marshane, a college senior from Cape Town, South Africa, won the Global Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award. AwesomeShip emerged from Startup Weekend Hong Kong and won the Global Startup Battle. Two new U.S. firms, Fenugreen and Dynamo Micropower, took top honors in the Startup Open. YouCook from Germany conquered Meet
Foreword
Five competitions. Five winners. Five continents. These proud winners and the millions of others who participate in Global Entrepreneurship Week each November are emblematic of a new generation of young entrepreneurs who are catalyzing more supportive entrepreneurship ecosystems. This report is dedicated to highlighting their work and the work of those mentoring and supporting them.
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