Europe » GEW

Vienna Conference a Success

Alex — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:51:21 +0000

On Monday and Tuesday in Vienna, Austria, the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) convened a forum on Entrepreneurship and Innovation for Central and Eastern European Competitiveness as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week 2009.

Coinciding with the anniversaries of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the “Velvet Revolution,” The forum brought together a cross-section of the region’s diplomats, policy makers, and established and up-and-coming entrepreneurs to discuss successful start-up sectors in Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe. The event provided a unique opportunity for entrepreneurs, senior officials and business leaders to network, share perspectives about new strategies for growth and gain access to mentoring and funding resources.

The forum’s welcoming speaker, The Honorable William C. Eacho, III, President Obama’s newly assigned Ambassador to Austria, tapped his deep entrepreneurial background of investing in alternative energy and technology companies while CEO of private investment company Carlton Capital Group, LLC. Ambassador Eacho was joined by a diverse cast of participants including the U.S. Ambassador to Macedonia, U.S. Embassy officials in Zagreb, Skopje and Belgrade; pioneering Hungarian entrepreneur Gabor Boraj of Graphisoft; and executives from FedEx, Amgen and the World Bank. Leading fashion industry figures from London, including Percy Parker of PPQ, Alexia Somerville and FLUX Magazine Editor Amechi Ihenacho, mentored young Viennese designers.

Senior management and regional representatives from the following organizations participated in panels and roundtables, including the ArcelorMittal Foundation; the Polish National Capital Fund; the Billion Minds Foundation; the World Fashion Association; Atlas Venture from London; 3TS Capital Partners based in Budapest and Vienna; and the Small Enterprise Assistance Fund. Several regional entrepreneurs and start-up companies also participated.

BCIU forum participants were welcomed to Vienna at a reception on Sunday evening at the official residence of Ambassador Eacho in Vienna.

GEW Activities in Edinburgh

Alex — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:31:33 +0000

Edinburgh’s Global Entrepreneurship Week events commenced on the evening of Sunday 15th November with a welcome reception held at Edinburgh Castle. A free international conference was held in the City over three days (15th-18th November) and guests were invited to attend six workshops from a choice of sixteen.

Among those who attended the conference included leading practitioners, policy makers and people from across the globe who are passionate about delivering enterprising education to children and young people.The free conference aimed to highlight the “Determined to Succeed” strategy developed by the Scottish Government, with aim to stress the importance of engaging with employers in order to set learning in context, giving it greater relevance to the world beyond school. The conference promoting Global Entrepreneurship Week intended to demonstrate the Scottish governments commitment to developing enterprise and the employability skills of our young people, better preparing them for work and life in a globalised society.

To find out more information about the international conference go to www.determinedtosucceed.co.uk

The Edinburgh Napier University hosted the “SIE New Ideas Competition” on Tuesday (18th November), organised by students who were in the search for ideas of a potential business to be run by students and graduates from Scottish Universities. The drop-in event took place within the University Craiglockhart foyer between 11am and 3pm. The activity had the aim to inspire and motivate participants to start a business and develop their entreprenerial skill and focused upon the themes of Entrepreneurship Education, Youth Entrepreneurship and addressing the rising rate

of unemployment.

Denmark picks first finalist for Cleantech Open

admin — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:54:31 +0000

Denmark was the first to cross the finish line for the Global Cleantech Open Ideas Competition, with it’s national competition choosing a winner on November 2. Seventy judges weighed in on the decision — a lot for the small country. The winning idea came from five young entrepreneurs: Tine Thygesen, Henrik Gedde Moos, Torsten Kolind, Rene Jeppesen and Kasper Hulthin.
View their inspiring videos to get a peak at what the Ideas Competition will offer.
This team will compete against groups from at least Brazil, New Zealand, Israel, China and United States at the Cleantech Open Gala, taking place in San Francisco, Calif. on Tuesday, Nov. 17, as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week.
The Cleantech Open is the world’s largest cleantech open ideas competition, combing the world for the best cleantechnology ideas.
Since 2000, Denmark’s Venture Cup has helped new and innovative entrepreneurs showcase their ideas. The Venture Cup Web site also features Venture Cup TV, which allows visitors to view profiles of clean technology entrepreneurs. Venture Cup TV will follow the competition, and will track Denmark’s representative at the Global CTO Ideas Competition.

Wisonsin and Wageningen hit the sustainable dance club

admin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:40:21 +0000

Global Entrepreneurship Week in Wageningen, Netherlands will have some special guests from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Each year, Wageningen University and Wisconsin organize a study abroad program, in which the students work together to study life sciences and sustainability.

The program brought the Dutch students to the Madison campus this fall, and GEW will mark the Americans’ chance to study in the Netherlands. The highlight of the Week will be a dance party in Wageningen Friday, Nov. 20, where the students will join together for a party on a sustainable dance floor that is powered by the suave steps of its users.
The week in Wageningen focues on sustainable entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship in developing countries. Through the Week, Wageningen start-ups and research will be featured, and more importantly developed. This will include two week-long activities:
- An Entrepreneurial Bootcamp in which 25 Ph.D. students from Wageningen and Wisconsin will team up to learn and develop basic start-up skills. The teams will then work out a business case supported by theoretical lectures presented during the Week on important entrepreneurial issues.

- An Entrepreneurial Forum will transform the halls of campus building into an interactive demonstration site for sustainable Wageningen technologies that have been, will be, or can be developed into commercial products. It will be a place where researchers, students and entrepreneurs can meet and learn from one another.
Additional events include lectures from professors Rudy Rabbinge and Gatze Lettinga on sustainable entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship in developing countries, as well as a Young Entrepreneurs Business Cafe — a monthly networking event for entrepreneurs, students, researchers and others. This session will be sponsored by investment companies, allowing the students a special opportunity to network.