Partners
Global Entrepreneurship Week founders
Global Entrepreneurship Week was co-founded by Make Your Mark and the Kauffman Foundation.
The Kauffman Foundation
The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation was established in the mid-1960s by the late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman. Their vision is to foster “a society of economically independent individuals who are engaged citizens, contributing to the improvement of their communities.” In service of this vision, they focus grant making and operations on two areas: advancing entrepreneurship and improving the education of children and youth. They carry out their mission through four programmatic areas: Entrepreneurship, Advancing Innovation, Education, and Research and Policy. Check out their website: www.kauffman.org
Enterprise UK (that’s us!)
Enterprise UK is the UK’s national campaign to give people the confidence, skills and ambition to be enterprising – to have ideas and make them happen. Having a can-do attitude and the skills to spot opportunities, overcome challenges and implement ideas is more important and urgent than ever in today’s tough economic climate.
The Global Entrepreneurship Week model is an adaptation of Enterprise Week in the UK, which is now running for the sixth time this year as Global Entrepreneurship Week UK.
2009 UK partners
Alibaba.com
Online sponsor for official Global Entrepreneurship Week UK launch event
Alibaba.com is the world’s largest online business-to-business (B2B) marketplace. Founded in 1999, Alibaba.com makes it easy for millions of buyers and suppliers around the world to do business online through an online platform that connects a community of over 9 million registered users from over 240 countries around the globe.
With 40+ industry categories and 6000+ product categories, the platform offers significant growth and multiple buying and selling opportunities for all product-types and industries. Alongside matchmaking tools, the platform provides free product listings for suppliers, unlimited purchase requests for buyers, advanced communication tools and up-to-the-minute trade news and industry insights. As such, Alibaba.com is particularly strong with entrepreneurial businesses and SMEs, combining both invaluable business inspiration and advice with free, easy access to mass overseas markets.
MWB Business Exchange
Official Global Entrepreneurship Week UK venue partner
John Spencer, CEO of MWB Business Exchange, commented: “We’re delighted to be able to join with Global Entrepreneurship Week UK to support entrepreneurs and small businesses, the lifeblood of the British economy. Despite the economic turmoil, there are so many exciting opportunities available for small businesses, and we are keen to do everything we can to help the next wave of UK entrepreneurs establish themselves. Partnering with Global Entrepreneurship Week UK is a great way to do this. Throughout the week, entrepreneurs from around the country will be able to hold activities in our centres, and we will also be working with Global Entrepreneurship Week UK to provide inspiration and advice for people who are interested in starting up their own businesses.”
MWB Business Exchange (MWBex) is a leading provider of serviced offices at over 70 prime locations throughout London and the UK, and is committed to supporting the UK’s entrepreneurs and small businesses. MWBex offers companies immediately available, fully furnished serviced office space with flexible lease terms. In addition, the office centres provide fully equipped meeting & conference room facilities, virtual offices, hot-desking and videoconferencing - all with full support services and an advanced technological infrastructure.
Global partners
A host of partners have helped make Global Entrepreneurship Week a huge success around the world! We’re always on the look-out for new partners, so if you want to become an official global partner, email marilise@makeyourmark.org.uk for more information.
AIESEC is the international platform for young people to discover and develop their potential. Established in 1948, AIESEC’s integrated leadership program connects young people and organisations in over 100 countries to develop entrepreneurial leaders of positive change. AIESEC believes developing individuals is the most sustainable impact it can have on the world around us. Learn more about AIESEC.
BIS - the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills - is committed to building Britain’s future economic strengths. To compete in a global economy and create the jobs of the future Britain requires a regulatory environment that encourages enterprise, skilled people, innovation, and world-class science and research. The merger of BERR and DIUS brings together the parts of the government with key expertise in these areas. Learn more about BIS.
More than 56 years ago, DECA organised around an ambitious goal: to improve education and career opportunities for students interested in careers in marketing, management and entrepreneurship. What began with a few hundred students in 17 states has grown to over 185,000 students in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, Guam, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Germany. Learn more about DECA.
High-impact entrepreneurs have the biggest ideas and most ambitious plans. They have potential to create thriving companies that employ hundreds, even thousands of people, and generate millions in wages and revenues. And they have the power to inspire countless others. Together, Endeavor and high-impact entrepreneurs are changing industries, communities and entire countries. Learn more about Endeavor Global.
Founded 20 years ago by young, energetic entrepreneurs, EO is now 6,600 members strong with more than 108 chapters in 38 countries around the globe. EO members come from all walks of life and run companies of every type and size imaginable. But whether famous or not, with a staff of 2 or 20,000, they all have a common desire to grow their businesses, learn from others and share their experiences. Learn more about Entrepreneurs’ Organization.
The European Confederation of Young Entrepreneurs is the main association of young entrepreneurs in Europe and aims at improving the economic and social performance of European entrepreneurship. YES exists to stimulate exchanges and networking between young entrepreneurs, to foster the cooperation and the sharing of best practices among their national associations, particularly in the fields of education and training of young European citizens. Learn more about YES.
JA Worldwide annually reaches approximately 8 million students worldwide. Through age appropriate curricula, JA programs begin at the elementary school level, teaching children how they can impact the world around them as individuals, workers and consumers. JA programs continue through the middle grades and high school, focusing on the key content areas of entrepreneurship, work readiness and financial literacy. Learn more about JA Worldwide.
Founded in 1987 by Steve Mariotti (a former business executive and entrepreneur) while he was a public high school teacher in New York City’s South Bronx. Combining his business background with his desire to teach at-risk students, Steve discovered that when low-income youth are given the opportunity to learn about entrepreneurship, their innate “street smarts” can easily develop into “academic smarts” and “business smarts”. To date, NFTE has worked with over 186,000 young across the U.S. and around the world. Learn more about NFTE.
The TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) mission is to foster entrepreneurship globally through mentoring, networking, and education. Dedicated to the virtuous cycle of wealth creation and giving back to the community, TiE’s focus is on generating and nurturing our next generation of entrepreneurs. There are currently over 12,000 members and more than 1,800 charter members in 52 chapters across 11 countries. Learn more about TiE
The Prince’s Youth Business International (YBI) manages an international network of programmes that help disadvantaged young people to become entrepreneurs by providing business mentoring and funds. Our network comprises 38 locally based, independent initiatives that adopt the YBI model to meet national needs and conditions. The YBI network has helped to start over 90,000 successful new businesses which in turn have provided employment to hundreds of thousands of others. YBI is part of The Prince’s Charities, a group of 20 not-for-profit organisations of which The Prince of Wales is President. Learn more about YBI.
Youth Enterprise and Sustainability (YES) is an action oriented initiative that organises global summits to convene and align stakeholders, develops capacity of its 55 youth-led Country Networks to build partnerships and implement projects, and works to unleash entrepreneurship by setting up Youth Enterprise Generators. Learn more about Youth Enterprise and Sustainability.
