Global Initiative Aims To Invigorate
Northeast Ohio’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem
Events planned throughout Northeast Ohio from November 18-24, 2019
Cleveland, OHIO (Nov. 4, 2019) — Northeast Ohio is celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) from November 18-24 as part of a global initiative led by the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN). As a week-long series of events, GEW Northeast Ohio (GEWNEO) is designed to discover the entrepreneurial capacity of the region.
“During Global Entrepreneurship Week, thousands of partners throughout the country hold events, activities, and competitions to celebrate and support local entrepreneurs,” said Ellen Bateman, director of U.S. ecosystems at the Global Entrepreneurship Network. “GEW serves as an opportunity to remove barriers and welcome all to participate in entrepreneurial activities as well as collaborate within their ecosystem.”
To be successful in business today, entrepreneurs need a variety of skill sets and resources. This year, GEWNEO will offer peer-to-peer learning, experiential skill-building opportunities, formal training, and post-program support. Throughout the week-long festivities and thanks to the support of partners and sponsors, GEWNEO will be hosting events and programs that are educational and informative for entrepreneurs at all stages, with the aim to:
- Create inclusive and accessible events
- Provide a wide range of materials to bring together entrepreneurs with different needs
- Reduce entrepreneurial-attrition by creating ongoing opportunities for local entrepreneurs to continue participating in the GEWNEO ecosystem
“If Northeast Ohio seeks to continue to be a trusted leader in manufacturing, technology, healthcare, or any other industry that we contribute to globally, we need to build a more dynamic and inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystem,” said Pauly Suchy, Coordinator of GEWNEO. “But that isn’t possible if most people aren’t invested in this idea. If we hope to grow as a region we need to build an ecosystem that nurtures everyone, at whichever stage, through ecosystem building and design initiatives like GEWNEO.”
Since the program’s launch in Northeast Ohio in 2018, GEWNEO has gained significant traction throughout the region. This year’s efforts include 13 live events, featuring more than 50 speakers and presenters, thanks to the generous support of 30 partners and sponsors.
This initiative has attracted a variety of organizations and businesses that are invested in growing the broader region’s entrepreneurship ecosystem. Given the focus on Northeast Ohio, one such effort, “Stories That Scale: The Next 15 Years Of Entrepreneurship” is a series of educational talks about the future of entrepreneurship, which will be hosted at the Bounce Innovation Hub in Akron and generously supported through an adult education grant from The Burton D. Morgan Foundation.
Other events of note, include: Start in CLE, which will be hosting their annual Founder Fest at Jumpstart and the MidTown Tech Hive; John Carroll University and their sponsors and partners are bringing together over 1,000 young female entrepreneurs for the Dare To Dream Retreat at Playhouse Square; Prosper for Purpose, a purpose-driven marketing company based in Tremont, is hosting Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Cleveland (WEDCLE) at 78th St. Studios on the Westside of Cleveland; and Be Ready, a local business in East Cleveland is hosting the first annual Black Entrepreneurship Summit in Cleveland (BESCLE) at Cleveland History Center.
For a full list of GEWNEO events, to learn more about the partners and sponsors, or to become more involved in the initiative, please visit www.GEWNEO.com
About GEN Global
The Global Entrepreneurship Network operates a platform of projects and programs in 170 countries aimed at making it easier for anyone, anywhere to start and scale a business. By fostering deeper cross border collaboration and initiatives between entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, policymakers and entrepreneurial support organizations, GEN works to fuel healthier start and scale ecosystems that create more jobs, educate individuals, accelerate innovation and strengthen economic growth. GEN’s extensive footprint of national operations and global verticals in policy, research and programs ensure members have uncommon access to the most relevant knowledge, networks, communities and programs relative to the size of the economy, maturity of ecosystem, language, culture, geography and more. To learn more, visit https://www.genglobal.org.