Latest news with #GlobalEntrepreneurshipCongress
IOL News
12-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Only the bold can change the world
African Bank CEO, Kennedy Bungane, receiving the Ecosystem Catalyst Award at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Indiana from GEN President, Jonathan Ortmans. Image: Supplied. The Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) returned to the US for the first time in 15 years, where it was first hosted. In 2009, Kansas City welcomed just a few hundred ecosystem stakeholders who banded together with one vision – to build a 'one global entrepreneurial ecosystem''. The movement has now quite literally mushroomed over the years and has seen thousands of ecosystem stakeholders meet annually to discuss better ways to support the development of entrepreneurs across the globe. In 2017, South Africa hosted the GEC, which welcomed over 5000 delegates from 160 countries onto our shores. Last week, the City of Indianapolis greeted 3455 participants from 141 countries, marking the 15th Global Entrepreneurship Congress under the theme, the 'Bold Change the World'. With over 148 sessions and 200 speakers, the congress was over-saturated with rich and impactful content. Some of the key highlights included a keynote fireside chat with one of the world's most renowned entrepreneurs, Mark Cuban, who advised entrepreneurs to explore unchartered territories, saying 'Go where others don't look and just start'. Many other significant highpoints of the GEC include the launch of the GEN Catalyst Index, which is a bold new initiative aimed at developing a standardised framework to assess, benchmark and elevate the performance of Enterprise Support Organisations (ESOs) worldwide. GEN and Startup Genome also launched the Aptitudes and Policies for Exponential Entrepreneurship (APEXE), which is aimed at helping national governments evaluate and enhance the performance of national policy action in growing tech startup ecosystems. The first instalment of the APEXE Nations Ranking offers a balanced scorecard of the performance of each country's past entrepreneurial innovation policies. At the awards evening, African Bank, a local bank in South Africa, was awarded the prestigious Ecosystem Catalyst Award – in recognition reserved for an organisation that demonstrates outstanding commitment to driving long-term, inclusive growth in their local entrepreneurship ecosystem, through programmes and education. From championing township entrepreneurs to pioneering new financial models for underserved communities, the bank continues to demonstrate what it means to not only fund ideas – but to believe in the people behind them. Now here's the kicker. In September 2026, the global community will convene in Cape Town for the 2nd Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC+) Africa, which will welcome over 2000 delegates with arms wide open from across the continent onto our shores, in addition to a few other hand-picked international delegates. The GEC+Africa promises to promote inclusive and sustainable growth; accelerate digital transformation; improve access to finance; advocate for supportive policies and strengthen pan-African collaboration. Many participants I met at the congress simply craved stability. Around the world, they urged their government leaders to also prioritise transparency and provide clarity. As an example, Cuban encouraged entrepreneurs to just be entrepreneurs and focus on what they do best. As he said, 'if your business succeeds, politicians will come to you, and you must build a business that outlasts any one politician''. I left GEC feeling totally inspired and echoed the words of Jonathan Ortmans, the GEN president, 'entrepreneurs are the new diplomats of the world'. Kizito Okechukwu is the co-Chair of the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) Africa; and Executive Head of 22 On Sloane, Africa's largest entrepreneurship campus Kizito Okechukwu Kizito Okechukwu is the executive head of 22 On Sloane, Africa's largest entrepreneurship campus and co-chair of the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) Africa. Image: Supplied.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Kansas launches new resources for small businesses, entrepreneurs
Taylor Overton leads the new Kansas Department of Commerce Small Business Office. She spoke Tuesday at the Tee Box in Topeka. (Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector) TOPEKA — Tools for small business owners are now available through the Kansas Small Business Office, leaders with the Kansas Department of Commerce announced Tuesday while highlighting the need to encourage entrepreneurship and business development in the state. Connect KS, a resource website that will answer questions of small business owners and help them find resources in their part of the state, is part of the SBO, said Taylor Overton, who heads up the new office. The resources were announced at an event at the Tee Box in downtown Topeka that drew entrepreneurs from across the state to share the importance of finding programs and information to help them succeed. In addition, many spoke about being part of a Kansas delegation recently at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Indiana. 'One of the reasons why this is so important is that new businesses under five years old create the most net new jobs in our economy,' said Jason Grill, with Right to Start, a nonprofit organization that advocates for small businesses. 'They also grow GDP, and they increase lifetime incomes. They increase community wealth, very much so, in lifetime incomes, they diversify our goods and services in our communities, and they fight inequality and poverty.' Grill told about 50 people gathered that for every 1% increase in entrepreneurship in a community, there is a 2% decrease in poverty. Joshua Jefferson, deputy secretary of business development at the commerce department, said the coordination of resources throughout the state is key to the new initiatives. 'We're here to commit to the work of a new era in small business support here in Kansas,' he said. 'The COVID 19 pandemic exposed that the Kansas Department of Commerce was not doing enough for small businesses in the state of Kansas. In the wake of a once-in-a-century economic crisis, we examined the way that the agency was working, and in the process, we discovered that we really weren't supporting small business as much as we could, or that we should.' Jefferson said the creation of the SBO, along with resources like Connect KS, was the culmination of those efforts to change the state's support network. 'We can do more, and we will do more,' he said. He outlined resources included in the SBO and stressed that part of the task has been making them easier to navigate and accessible to all Kansans. 'By creating a coordinated statewide hub for entrepreneurs at every stage, we're coordinating key resources and creating centralized points of contact for entrepreneurs who are navigating the tough work of business development certifications, permitting access to capital, mentorships and much, much more,' he said. Much of the work of the SBO is connecting people with opportunity, and Overton said she was excited to take a Kansas delegation to the global congress to network with people from around the world. Wichita business owner Kristin Kienzle, who attended the Global Entrepreneurship Congress in Indiana, said she is learning about creating a successful franchising model that can be replicated nationwide as she explores opportunities to expand into Oklahoma. Kienzle, who owns Utopia Modern Salon Suites, grew her unique approach to offering salon services from one site to three in Wichita, with more on the way. 'I learned some tactical things. I learned some inspirational things and then I also just kind of learned some things about myself,' she said. Being with other entrepreneurs helped her realize how little people understand about what it takes to start a business and manage all the risks. 'As an entrepreneur, we just do what we do,' she said. 'So being in the room on a grand stage with all these people who have done great things, everyone from Mark Cuban down to the guy who started this business six weeks ago, and everything in between was just so it just made me realize, wow, these people, and this is a really unique crowd.' Trademark attorney Julie Grabbe, of Hays, said meeting people from other countries was valuable. 'I'm in west Kansas, so we're in a different situation than a lot of the more metropolitan cities,' she said. 'But commerce is very important to us. We want to be able to keep our young talent. We want to keep growing our cities. We want it to be a vibrant place to live. I think one of the ways to do that is really to have the support of the state to go out and do these kinds of things and get these ideas.'
Technical.ly
10-06-2025
- Business
- Technical.ly
Meet the ESHIP Alliance: New name for the national ecosystem building movement
Andy Stoll has one t-shirt, loads of post-it notes and a new job that's a lot like his old job. Stoll is the founding executive director of what is now called the ESHIP Alliance, a nonprofit startup that announced its new name last week in Indianapolis at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC). The GEC is a global conference organized by the Global Entrepreneurship Network (or GEN, which is lovingly pronounced like the name Jen by its many admirers). Stoll made his announcement alongside GEN founder and CEO Jonathan Ortmans, and right before Right to Start's Victor Hwang, another entrepreneurship booster with his own big announcement. They're just three of a constellation of groups that have spun off from the Kauffman Foundation 's decades-long investment in entrepreneurship. Last year, Kauffman announced plans to narrow its focus to economic opportunity in its hometown of Kansas City, winding down its national programming funding. Stoll joked that his ESHIP Alliance could be the younger sister to GEC, which makes the Kauffman Foundation mom and dad, and Hwang a kind of attentive uncle — with plenty of cousins and lots of folksy Midwestern charm to go around. Catching the ecosystem-building bug Stoll was a local organizer in Iowa first, working on startups and gatherings in the early 2000s and 2010s. Hwang, once an influential Kauffman executive, gave Stoll the language to describe what he and thousands of others were doing. 'Victor told me: What you're doing is the future of place-based economic development,' Stoll said. 'And I said: I'm doing the what of what?' In 2012, Hwang published ' The Rainforest,' a widely cited book on local economic development, and in 2017 hired Stoll. Together they produced Kauffman's Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Building Playbook, which put institutional heft behind rag-tag community efforts flourishing around the country. From 2017-2019, Stoll was emcee and organizer of annual Kauffman-backed ESHIP Summits. Hundreds came from around the country to discuss rebuilding their local economies from the ground up: some were there as part of their jobs, many others were not. But most talk fondly and passionately about being part of something that seemed overlooked then and is now taken more seriously. Stoll and his team would stock up on colorful post-it notes, markers and engagement activities. As a 2023 report on the origins of inclusive entrepreneurship tracked, many grassroots efforts to reshape local economies took hold after the Great Recession and steadily grew during the 2010s. One of the most enduring is the 'entrepreneurial ecosystem building' that is sometimes called ' place-based economic development ' among industry insiders. Their shared and primary push: state and local policymakers and civic leaders should put entrepreneurship at the center of their strategies for economic growth, opportunity and development. Like scripture passages, these believers cite studies showing that new businesses create effectively all net new jobs, and that each 1% increase in entrepreneurship correlates with 2% declines in poverty. The ecosystem metaphor teaches that big institutions are vital, but must prioritize the many differently sized, aged and types of organizations that overlap to make an economy. NRPs: National ecosystem resource providers Stoll is friendly, chatty, and millennial nerd chic enough to be among the movement's leaders, backed by the influence and checkbook of the Kauffman Foundation. Over a decade-plus, from an early Startup Champions summit to SXSW activations and beyond, I've seen Stoll at his most comfortable in a t-shirt, effusing folksy modesty while cracking self-effacing jokes and serving as a community historian of the work, preferably leading an exercise on collaboration with post-it notes. Pushed out of the comfortable confines of the Kauffman Foundation, Stoll is now stitching together a coalition so this on-the-ground change can last. Among his partners is Black-entrepreneurship focused Forward Cities, which also got its start with Kauffman funding and has been long led by Stoll's years-long collaborator Fay Horwitt. Together this week, they introduced the ESHIP Alliance's renewed focus to a network of so-called national ecosystem resource providers (NRPs) — organizations that address needs common to many ecosystems or state and local entrepreneurial communities. 'At its core, this alliance is about strengthening the profession of ecosystem building across the United States,' Stoll said in a GEC session. 'We need entrepreneurship, we need ecosystems, but we need to center equity so anyone, anywhere who wants to be an entrepreneur has the opportunity to participate.' The alliance will gather these resource providers and help advance and formalize 'ecosystem building' as a discipline for state and local governments to embrace. Events, training material and policy positions will help. As part of that work the ESHIP Alliance launched the ESHIP Commons, a social network intended to help ecosystem builders connect, share ideas and find resources. What's next for the ESHIP Alliance Turns out Technically itself is an NRP, so I was at one of Stoll's tables at GEC — years since the last time I saw him in action. On stage, he guided about a hundred NRP leaders through a series of exercises to identify the next set of challenges and potential solutions for ecosystem building. Much to attendee amusement, Stoll's presentation included a photo of him from years ago wearing the same 'Mass Collaboration' t-shirt he wore this week, signaling that while much has changed, many faces haven't. Horrowit was up next with an exercise that cleverly required attendees to never reference funding as a problem. As she said, 'That's a problem for everyone, give us something new.' That let us focus on more specific obstacles to advance the work of centering entrepreneurship in local policymaking and economic development. Good for an exercise, but what's next? Stoll, like this conversation, has graduated from the Kauffman nest (the group was initially called the Ecosystem Builders Leadership Network, so the rebrand gives it a fresh start). Entrepreneurship rates have surged post pandemic, led by women and people of color. That's caught the attention of serious state and local leaders. Stoll, Hwang and so many others have for years advocated for a bigger stage, and now they have it. Stoll donned a dress shirt to get on the GEC main stage and announce his organization's new name. He seemed more at home the next day in his t-shirt, pushing all of us who support local entrepreneurship and innovation efforts across the country. Said Stoll: 'We have who we need in the room.'
Technical.ly
08-06-2025
- Business
- Technical.ly
How local governments can back the entrepreneurs building their regions' futures
Entrepreneurship is increasingly viewed as the most dependable source of broad-based economic gains. Nearly all net new jobs come from new companies and a 1% rise in entrepreneurial activity correlates with a 2% decline in poverty. Post-pandemic growth — led by women, particularly women of color — shows investments in 'inclusive entrepreneurship' worked, but systemic barriers to capital, networks and opportunity still limit would-be founders. A policy 'field guide' recommends redirecting 5% of procurement to firms under five years old, eliminating early registration fees, reforming noncompetes, strengthening libraries as entrepreneurial hubs, designating a clear entrepreneurship leader and elevating existing ecosystem efforts rather than duplicating them. Entrepreneurship can sound like rich people's problems. In certain settings, talking about business starts and business growth all sounds like the cavorting of the well to do. A growing coalition says that's all wrong. 'Entrepreneurship is not just about starting companies,' said Victor Hwang. 'It's about enabling people to solve problems in their communities with innovation and drive.' Hwang refined his bookish charm and pro-entrepreneurship pitch while an executive at the Kansas City-based Kauffman Foundation, which is widely credited for advancing the research and the field of new-business support. This work now gets called ecosystem building, or place-based, entrepreneur-led economic development. Hwang's policy-focused Right to Start nonprofit has just kicked off a national campaign called America the Entrepreneurial, to put entrepreneurs at the center of next year's 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. Hwang is also among my co-hosts of Builders Live, a monthly podcast on ecosystem building. Ahead of the Global Entrepreneurship Congress, in our most recent episode, alongside investor Brian Brackeen, we checked in on the most surefire policies Right to Start recommends for state and local officials. Entrepreneurship is not a distraction from well-rounded and inclusive economic policy. It's increasingly recognized as the most dependable source of gains, including the following: Nearly all net new jobs come from new companies Every 1% increase in entrepreneurial activity in a county correlates with a 2% decline in poverty — and average household income increased by $500 41% of Americans say they'd launch a business if they could, but just 2% actually do One key input of economic mobility is access to information about the programs and resources (a role we at Technically play) Investments into what has been called 'inclusive entrepreneurship' in the 2000s and 2010s worked. Entrepreneurship has popped post-pandemic, led by women, especially women of color, but barriers remain. 'The reason I founded Right to Start was to change the narrative and the policies that limit entrepreneurship in this country,' Hwang said. A checklist for policymakers to support entrepreneurship Though more is to come, his Right to Start launched ' field guides ' for policymakers, at the local, state and federal levels. A few of their most common recommendations, mixed with a couple from own reporting: 5% to start: 'Dedicate a small percentage of current funding to new entrepreneurs and young businesses, and track the impact…Redirect 5% of government procurement dollars to businesses under 5 years old.' Identify an entrepreneurship leader: This could be an existing lead (like a commerce director), provided they truly prioritize entrepreneurship. Zero barriers to launch: ' Reduce or eliminate registration costs and fees for new businesses in their critical early years,' relying financially on more established firms. Separate new business from small, medium and large businesses: They need different things, and it is the 'new' that create the most positive economic outcomes. Easy access: 'Strengthen local libraries as hubs of knowledge and digital tools for entrepreneurs.' Noncompete reform: 'Unleash entrepreneurs who want to create new jobs by freeing them from unfair bans and noncompete restrictions.' Support existing efforts: Most states and regions have existing 'ecosystem building' efforts. Rather than recreate them, elevate and redirect residents there. This mirrors advice we've given mayors in the past. To support entrepreneurship: Remove barriers, invest in workforce, celebrate homegrown solutions and amplify the priority. (We've made more general tech policy recommendations too) Entrepreneurs start alone, but don't grow without help Many of these steps are intentionally modest. Hwang, though, has a far more ambitious plan: for entrepreneurship to be at the very center of all economic policy. Brackeen, managing partner of Lightship Capital, echoed that idea. 'The barriers that exist for entrepreneurs, especially those from underrepresented communities, are systemic, and we need systemic change,' Brackeen said. 'It's not about handouts. It's about access — access to capital, access to networks and access to opportunity.' The best economic policy doesn't pick industries, it supports entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs don't pick places to start businesses, they pick places to live and then start businesses there. The ' Ecosystem Stack ' prioritizes both lifestyle issues (like housing) and amplifying these successes. This works. According to new analysis, regions with a dedicated news outlet covering startups earn 60% more media coverage and, over a decade, grow their ecosystems twice as fast as similar peers. The takeaway? Entrepreneurs may start alone, but their companies don't grow that way. Policy, platforms and narrative all shape what happens next. 'If we want more startups,' Hwang said, 'we need to fix the system so it doesn't favor big businesses at the expense of new ones.'
