Mid-November sees the return of Global Entrepreneurship Week. GEW is an annual, worldwide event that brings young people across the nations together with experts, politicians, educators and policymakers to introduce entrepreneurship as a way forward with their own innovative ideas.
Encouraging young people to consider starting their own business, Global Entrepreneurship Week started in the UK in 2008, when it began life as Enterprise Week. Now a truly international affair, GEW takes place every year simultaneously throughout the world in 140 countries.
GEW in the UK
Hosted by Youth Business International, GEWUK allows the UK’s aspiring and existing entrepreneurs to link together with other, like-minded people to encourage innovation and exploration. It offers the opportunity to gain crucial investment contacts and to find the experts they need to help drive their business forward. This is all while making forming a new company, or growing a start-up business, much less daunting.
In 2013, over 600 organisations across the country hosted more than 6,000 events. This reached a staggering 300,000 entrepreneurs. The campaign was so successful that the GEWUK team was made Country of the Year.
This year, the team have a massive 165 partners, who have already confirmed 165 activities.
GEWUK 2015 – Connecting
Last year’s theme for Global Entrepreneurship Week was to take a step forward. That’s certainly what the week did for the people who took part. This year, the theme is equally positive. It is asking those taking part to ‘Get Connected’.
For those who are starting a new business, making those great connections – with investors, with suppliers, with customers and with service providers – is crucial. And reaching out to other budding entrepreneurs and existing experts can offer the benefit of shared experience and a greater network.
GEW 2015 – Across the World
From Albania to Zimbabwe and many more countries to the North, East, South and West, more than seven million participants are set to enjoy Global Entrepreneurship Week this year. As well as events local to each country taking part, there are a number of global events. These include Women’s Entrepreneurship Day that will launch for the first time on 19 November this year.
The Startup Open
The Startup Open is a global competition that recognises the top 50 startup companies that have formed since GEW 2013. Looking at the ‘startup moment’ of new businesses. This is a moment of outstanding promise that could be the point at which the company formed, the date it launched or achieved its funding target. It could also be any other event that signified that that business successfully opened for business. They will announce the winners of this competition during Global Entrepreneurship Week 2015.
Get on the ring
And more than 2,000 startups from countries all around the world will take part in this year’s ‘Get on the Ring’. This is as dubbed the Olympics for startups. This puts startups in the ring and makes them pitch against one another to find the national winner of each country. The international final will then take place on 21 November. This is where the eight most promising startups will go head to head in front of four champion investors. This is as well as an audience of venture capitalists, business angels and other entrepreneurs to battle it out for the championship belt.
The Formations Company – Supporting UK’s Entrepreneurial Spirit
Over 500,000 startup businesses decided to register in 2013. We’re comparing this to 484,224 in 2012 and 440,600 in 2011. This means it’s clear that entrepreneurialism in the UK has never been stronger. Helping those entrepreneurs to form their companies, The Formations Company is dedicated to providing additional expertise and information. This is to help people of all ages get into entrepreneurialism and grow their businesses their way.
GEW 2013 statistics show that 44% of participants said that they had gained a new business idea or that they had been inspired during the week. From honing that business idea through to finding the investment and funding needed to start a business, we are set to help with the next stage of your new business journey.
Connect with The Formations Company for free startup advice guides, together with fast, easy and cost-effective company formations.