UNC-Chapel Hill is set to host its second annual Global Entrepreneurship Week this year, occurring Nov. 18-22, 2013. www.gewunc.com
Events will be held at the University and in downtown Chapel Hill, and include keynote speakers and panelists from the founders of soleRebels, BioMason, Sungevity, Beat Making Lab, Sqord among others, a testament to how entrepreneurship and innovation can change the world in health, energy, the arts, fashion, biotech, technology, food, water and sanitation, clean air, tobacco control, and other sectors.
Bringing a global leader to North Carolina, one of the speakers will be traveling all the way from Ethiopia and has been named the 4th woman entrepreneur of the last century by CNN, one of the most creative people in business by Fast Company, and a Counsellor for One Young World alongside fellow Counsellors Sir Richard Branson, Nobel Peace Prize Winning economist Mohammad Yunus, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Media Magnate Arianna Huffington.
Among the series of events, GEW will also include a pitch party hosted by the Carolina Challenge and an “Entrepreneurship in the Triangle” networking event co-hosted by CED, the Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network, Startup NC, among many partners from across the triangle. There will even be a crowdfunding masterclass led by Indiegogo, which will be livestreamed across other campuses and incubators in the U.S.
As part of GEW, UNC will also be hosting its first ever Sustainability Innovation Jam, an online platform that will offer a chance for all of the UNC community to come together for a few days to work online to develop viable solutions to complex sustainability problems (students, alumni, faculty, and staff). During GEW, Blackman and Sloop will be offering pro-bono accounting office hours open to the public at Launch Chapel Hill and 1 Million Cups will be taking place at RTP.
Last year, more than 1,000 people participated at the week’s events and organizers say that tickets are already running out fast. All of the events are free and open to the public. Entrepreneurs and individuals in the community, students at UNC and from other universities in the triangle, faculty, staff, and alumni are all invited to attend.
Triangle Startup Weekend will also be coming to UNC’s campus this year for the 48hrs leading up to Global Entrepreneurship Week (November 15-17). Students from across the triangle, developers, designers, local entrepreneurs, and creative thinkers will be coming together to turn ideas into reality over the course of a weekend.
Launched by the Kauffman Foundation, Global Entrepreneurship Week is the world’s largest celebration of innovators and job creators who launch startups that bring ideas to life, drive economic growth, and expand human welfare. It’s now grown to over 115 countries engaging more than 7 million people every year. http://www.unleashingideas.org/
This year, UNC-Chapel Hill was ranked as GEW USA’s top university partner and 4th place overall from across the country. There is a menu to choose from during Global Entrepreneurship Week – something for everyone – so we recommend you check out the website and get your tickets before they sell out!