World Entrepreneurship Day, April 16 2010

“In Kenya, rains have been minimal this year and predictions are it will be worse this year on food security. Currently over 10 million Kenyans are faced with hunger. On friday, my colleagues and I discussed how entrepreneurial strategies will be required to address food security issues in Kenya.

It has become common for the government to always appeal for donor assistance to assist the starving Kenyans and yet we have so much land that can be used to grow food crops! In the future, we hope to explore ways of assisting farmers in addressing the issue of food security.

The strategies must mix entrepreneurial strategies with social goals for long term and wider benefit to the public and not just private gain. This would entail availing credit and carrying out trainings to farmers and even issues of storage and market linkages. In financing, creating a fund that will help those with a wider public benefit will be given priority.”

(WED Story contributed by Mr. Carlos Chege from Kenya’s Center for Social Entrepreneurship & Accounting)

It is Monday morning after the inaugural World Entrepreneurship Day, and the stories continue to flow in! I think I can speak for all the entrepreneurial org’s that celebrated on Friday when I say how reluctant we are to let go of the inspiration & empowerment that was held on Friday worldwide. However, let us remember – we must celebrate & empower entrepreneurs everyday!

Here is one story that came from SIFE Egypt @ Ain Shams University, one of the greatest and oldest Egyptian universities. It was founded in 1950 and is home to more than 180,000 students and 5,000 staff members!

SIFE EGYPT’s Celebration on World Entrepreneurship Day, April 17^th, 2009

First: We thought it would be very important that as many people as possible should know what this day represents and how the world is celebrating …so our team (consisting of 11 members of teenagers participating in the carried activities) made circulars sharing:

• What the world is celebrating on the 17th of april,
• The meaning of entrepreneurship and importance of entrepreneurs’ services to the world.
• Plus some inspirational, success, and entrepreneurial quotes to brighten their day and make the recipient of these circulars rethink their careers to be one of the future entrepreneurs that the world is in need for.

This was distributed to 1,500 people of our community from teenagers to adults.

Second: we thought that talking with an entrepreneur and gaining from his experience and following his success story would be very valuable on such a day. So we went to a business owner (Copper Shaping), who started from scratch and became the owner of a big workshop and factory for copper and stainless shaping.

We interviewed him and partnered with a local egyptian magazine to publish the story so that all people would benefit from his experience and tackling with tough situations and life challenges. We as a team working on applying entrepreneurship and helping people start their own business have gained a lot that can facilitate our mission.

Finally thank you for giving us a chance to be a part of this world celebration and rejuvenation. We are hoping to contribute with all our efforts and energy for spreading entrepreneurship in our local community till next year’s day too.

WED-participants from Egypt have created this WED video to share with the world – their message is powerful, clear, and thought-provoking.

Fantastic job – YOU ladies are entrepreneurial heroes!!

World Entrepreneurship Day LIVE in action – it’s a worldwide celebration! Organizations from Mexico to Australia are hosting activities & events to RE-SPARK the innovative fire!

Here are a few outstanding examples of worldwide events happening today:

Canada ‘s Momentum Community Economic Development organization will host a dynamic networking event and educational keynote presentation for Canadian entrepreneurs.

California’s Santa Monica High School SAGE chapter will impact 2,500 students with an assembly, educational global trade fair, and a cultural carnival to increase global economic and social awareness.

Washington D.C.’s George Washington University will host their first GW Business Plan Competition on World Entrepreneurship Day, with oral presentations by the eight finalist teams (chosen out of over 200 teams that applied) to a panel of entrepreneurs and venture capital investors. They will be making an announcement about WED and the importance of entrepreneurship to the rejuvenation of our nation’s economy.

Tanzania’s Vision Saccos will host a large entrepreneurship conference offering training on microfinance and market research for their entrepreneurial members. They welcome any speakers, volunteers, and presenters from other countries.

Chicago’s “Diamonds in the Ruff” children organization will be “contacting all the youth that have come through the Diamonds in the Ruff Children’s Society, GEMS (Global Entrepreneurs and Management Scholars) program to find out the status of their businesses and to make sure they each recognize this day as the day they chose to make the World their marketplace.”

California’s UC Santa Barbara Technology Management Program will host three technology visionary keynotes in a dynamic “Tomorrow Maker” seminar.

Colorado’s University of Colorado will host Gov. Bill Ritter, who will announce information and communications technology (ICT) as a pillar of the Colorado economy, officially recognizing the importance of technological entrepreneurship to the state’s future prosperity alongside other pillars such as clean energy, tourism, education and transportation. They will close World Entrepreneurship Day with the announcement of the CU New Venture Challenge winners, the university’s first campus-wide business plan competition for students and faculty, with prizes totaling more than $12,000.

Chicago ’s Diamonds in the Ruff Childrens’ Society will celebrate “by contacting all the youth that have come through the Diamonds in the Ruff Children’s Society, GEMS (Global Entrepreneurs and Management Scholars) program to find out the status of their businesses and to make sure they each recognize this day as the day they chose to make the World their marketplace.”

In Kenya, youth unemployment is a key concern for Kenya as 75% of its population is youth and 80% of graduates are still unemployed. Last month, USIU SIFE held an entrepreneurship Conference to allow the youth to come up with those innovations necessary to enhance developments in the various sectors of the economy including technology, entertainment, clothing and design, etc. The winners of the Conference will be announced today to act as an incentive for more people to embrace entrepreneurship.

Cameroon’s Youth Business Cameroon says, “To be part of this wonderful initiative we’re going to organize an Entrepreneurship Development workshop involving students and unemployed graduates from Douala Universities and several other private Institutions in the town. Focus will be made on Agri-business and ICT.”

Virginia’s Bridgewater College plans to officially launch their new “Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization” and hopefully announce a new Entrepreneurship degree concentration!

California’s Chapman University will host several interesting and innovative events that day to promote entrepreneurship both on our campus and in a global manner also via postings on websites.

Tennessee’s University of Tennessee @ Chattanooga will be inducting two local entrepreneurs into the UTC College of Business Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame. Their induction dinner is will include 250 guests, including students, faculty, and members of the community.

Mexico’s Foundation Innovapyme will be hosting an event to “drive and promote innovation in the small and medium enterprises they are linked to.”

Tanzania’s Africa Biofuel organization will be hosting an event to “provide leadership to the development of the green energy biofuel industry in East Africa and facilitate independence on fossil fuel for rural East Africa.”

Wisconsin’s School of Business is hosting a Cupid’s Cup Business Competition – see live webcasts! Their event coordinator says, “ Entrepreneurship leads to innovation — it answers questions and provides solutions to real and emerging needs,” says Anne Miner, professor of Management and Human Resources at the Wisconsin School of Business and director of the G. Steven Burrill Business Plan Competition. “Through this annual event students have the opportunity to come together and create answers to society’s most challenging problems. We are so excited to share with the world these innovative ideas that will drive the future of business.”

World Rejuvenation through

Entrepreneurship LIVE in action!

…made possible by our heroic event

organizers around the world – thank you!

Take a moment to share your opinion in our polls. Results will be buried in our entrepreneurial time capsule tonight!

Who is the greatest entrepreneur today (2009)?

• Is it Richard Branson Creator of the revolutionary Virgin brand? I heard the Virgin airplanes have WiFi…
• Is it Steve Jobs? He created a little thing called the iPod. And something called an iPhone. I’m sure you’ve heard of them.
• Is it Oprah? A new Twitterer as of today, she’s impacted the world in every way – started schools in Africa and a child abuser database; the list goes on.
• Is it Sergey Brin & Larry Page? Google, keepers of the world’s information, creators of Google Earth, Gmail, etc.
• Is it Mark Zuckerberg? Father of Facebook, pioneer of the new user interface…

Who is the greatest INVENTOR today (2009)?

• Is it Alexander Graham Bell? Inventor of the telephone, which has revolved into the cell phone, which has revolved into the iPhone.
• Is it Steve Wozniak? Inventor of the Personal Computer -  The vehicle by which so many other inventions have been created, connector of people around the globe, launchpad for all new technologies.
• Is it Jonas Salk? Inventor of the Polio vaccine, saver of millions of lives..
• Is it Dean Kamen? Inventor of the Segway human transporter, inventor of the first all-terrain electric wheelchair, too. Hopefully I won’t have to thank him for that one! Inventor of the first insulin pump..
• Is it Bill Gates? Inventor of Windows, the language billions of people around the world speak? Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, the list goes on.

Good luck! May the best entrepreneur & inventor win!

And HAPPY WORLD ENTREPRENEURSHIP DAY!

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!