World Entrepreneurship Day, April 16 2010

Today marked not only the inaugural launch of World Entrepreneurship Day, but of George Washington University’s Annual Business Plan Competition, where more than $30,000 in cash prizes was awarded! Says the competition director, Professor John Rollins, “It was wonderful to be able to have the final round presentations of the First Annual GW Business Plan competition on World Entrepreneurship Day, April 17 2009.  I spoke to the crowd about the importance of WED and entrepreneurship to our economy.”

Check out the winning team, Keen Guides (a company that offers customized video tours of museums, universities, and cultural institutions in several languages and modalities for people with disabilities):

Happy World Entrepreneurship Day!! Why is entrepreneurship worth celebrating worldwide? Well, because…

“The truly important advances for people of the world come from young entrepreneurs.

It is not the story of humans to remain in the same place for long.

We owe all the great things we have to entrepreneurs of the past and present.

What would we be like if we never thought of making it better?”

– Steve Wozniak (co-founder of Apple)

And I mean ….

“It’s about time we had a special day for the people who brought us the car, the computer,

the cheeseburger, the cell phone, the airplane, banking, software, email, the pill, indoor plumbing….”

– Tim Draper (Draper Fisher Jurvetson)

Today is a very special day for entrepreneurs! It’s a day to celebrate our accomplishments, talk about our advances, and discuss how we might reach our goals for the future of humanity.  A day as needy as ever of entrepreneurs and innovators, we invite you to engage your own community in celebration & discussion.

Even if you haven’t yet registered, there are still small ways that you, as an individual, can have an impact on the entrepreneurial culture of your community today.

• Watch some entrepreneurial videos & comment through your Facebook.
• Take part in our fun entrepreneurial contests (200w Essay, Photo Contest, 60s Video, Entrepreneur Trading Card)
• Pull a Purple Cow, like FDU today, who is painting their campus rocks with names & quotes of entrepreneurs and innovators!
• Talk to your younger siblings or students about the importance of entrepreneurship, thinking creatively & independently, and passionately pursuing your ambitions.
• Entrepreneurial Time Capsule: Gather items that mean “eship” to you. Put them in a box & bury! Re-visit them in 10 years – guaranteed you will be shocked. Examples: closing stock market value, an Entrepreneur magazine article, your favorite TED Talk, etc.
• Entrepreneurial Happy Hour – talk eship over your choice of juice. Red Bull for college students.
• WED Party – after all, it is Friday!!
• And so much more – be entrepreneurial!

We are SO excited to hear about your community celebrations.  Have a different, unique, memorable day. Have a positive impact on your community. Have fun. And most importantly – Have an outstanding, ENTREPRENEURIAL Friday.

Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey is teeing off World Entrepreneurship Day with a tireless mission – cover their campus rocks in entrepreneurship &  innovation! A group of students are painting the kidney stones outside their student center with the names & quotes of some entrepreneurs and their innovations.

It’s hard to ignore the need to innovate if it’s permanently painted all over your campus!

Tim Draper of Draper Fisher Jurvetson is one of the world’s most influential venture capitalists, and is also widely known as the “father of viral marketing.”  I once saw Tim speak at the USASBE Conference, and was inspired to pick his brain on World Entrepreneurship Day. Here’s what he had to say…

“The world changing heroic entrepreneurs of the world should be celebrated. We have days for a bunch of people who give a bunch of speeches. About time we had a special day for the people who brought us the car, the computer, the cheeseburger, the cell phone, the airplane, banking, software, email, the pill, indoor plumbing….”

- Tim Draper, Draper Fisher Jurvetson

(As you might tell from this picture and his quote, Tim’s regard of entrepreneurs as “heroes” was the inspiration for this website theme!)

Be an Entrepreneurial Hero!

Register your company, organization, K-12 school, or university for World Entrepreneurship Day. You can join theworldwide celebration of innovation and entrepreneurship by implementing activities, events, or parties on April 17th. Many of these take little to no preparation.

This morning, Cameroon, Tennesse, and New Jersey registered for WED!

Here’s the question we ask ALL of our registrants – “Welcome to WED! How will YOU help rejuvenate the world through entrepreneurship?”

Cameroon’s “Youth Business Cameroon”: To be part of this wonderful initiative we’re planning to organize an Entrepreneurship development workshop involving students and unemployed graduates from Douala Universities and other private institutions in the town. Focus will be made on Agricultural business and ICT. Thanks!! Website

New Jersey’s Rowan University: “Elevator Pitch Contest Better Ideas for A Better World 12:00 – 2:30 pm Jones Technology Center, 201 Mullica Hill Road, Glassboro, NJ 08028.” Website

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga: We will induct two local entrepreneurs into the UTC College of Business Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame. Our induction dinner is April 17, 2009 and it includes 250 guests, including students, faculty, and members of the community. Website

Welcome to all!

Want to join the worldwide celebration? Register your company/org, university, or K-12 school for WED today!

Welcome to World Entrepreneurship Day’s fantastic new website (thank you Fresh Tilled Soil!).

World Entrepreneurship Day (WED) will take place worldwide on April 17th as a new international initiative whose mission is to infuse entrepreneurial optimism into the world when it needs it the most! Because entrepreneurs will lead us back into economic prosperity and growth through innovation and job creation, we are enrolling companies, K-12 schools, universities, and individuals across the world to host events, activities, or workshops that will spur the innovative fire.

There are several ways you and your organization can get involved. You can start by browsing through the tabs above, or read below:

“5 Ways to Help WED Rejuvenate the World through Entrepreneurship”

1. Register your company/org, university, or K-12 school. You can join the world in celebration by hosting an event, workshop, or activity that will have impact on your org & community. Browse our Ideas Packet for unique ideas, some of which only require a few days preparation!
2. Partner with WED. Help spread the message of “World Rejuvenation through Entrepreneurship!”
a. Determine how you or your firm can add value to WED and vice versa
b. Identify ways that you, your firm or people in your network can spread WED and also uncover global press opportunities
c. Think through your network of contacts to see who might be interested in partnering with WED
3. Looking for Spectacular Volunteers. If you know of anyone who might be an outstanding addition to the WED Leadership Team, have them contact us or visit the Volunteer Page on our website. There is huge opportunity for anyone interested in advancing their entrepreneurial leadership skills and global network! We currently have volunteers in several different areas of the US and other countries. Areas below:
d. Marketing
e. Design
f. Public Relations
g. Outreach
h. Partnership
i. Sponsorship
4. Share an Endorsement Quote. If you are an entrepreneurial leader, your words radiate hope and inspiration! Please submit an endorsement quote that WED can share with the world. You may simply submit it online, where it will go directly to our email! Feel free to follow any structure, but we suggest:
j. How entrepreneurship impacts the world and …
k. How WED will do this. i.e. “WED can serve as the catalyst to remind the world that entrepreneurs are in fact heroes!”
5. Sponsorship.
l. Cash or product donation for IMPACT Awards to be given out around the world
m. Consultancy

Thank you in advance for your support of World Entrepreneurship Day. Check back to our website for exciting updates!