Global Entrepreneurship Week kicks off this week from 17 - 23 November, focusing on fostering start-ups worldwide.
The world's largest entrepreneurship campaign, its activities include large-scale competitions and events to small network gatherings, aimed at inspiring and promoting industry while providing practical support for young start-ups.
Initially conceived as Enterprise Week in the United Kingdom, the event has grown exponentially in the eight years since its creation. With over 140 countries hosting, GEW boasts 30,000 events run by 25,000 organizations, from small foundations to multinational corporations .
Since a lot of the success of GEW depends on an individual nation's interest and organization, we have listed all 16 countries in the Middle East who are participating, as well as links to their pages. When more information regarding activities is available, we have included it.
Who hosted the most GEW events in the region? Mediterranean countries like Algeria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Tunisia. Falling behind were countries like Iraq, Iran, Tunisia and Yemen who, although officially participating in the week, are not hosting any activities. Similarly behind in GEW events were Saudi Arabia and Oman, with only two and three events, respectively.
With over 600 activities, GEW in Algeria takes the cake for the MENA region. Hosted all over the country, GEW in Algeria features everything from competitions to success stories of female entrepreneurs to guided tours of important companies to programming aimed at youth.
Our favorite? A session on standardization led by Mr. Khedam, Adviser at the Ministry of the Environment.
In addition to hosting ten events, this Gulf nation is inviting start-ups to participate in a frenzied "Startup Weekend". Individuals pitch ideas to peers to receive feedback, after which teams form around the most popular ideas. Groups then spend 54 hours building a business model, coding and designing. They then present their ideas to local established entrepreneurs for feedback.
With events hosted in Cairo and Alexandria, GEW in Egypt is focusing on inspiring youth as well as building entrepreneurship ecosystems.
Our favorite? Egypt Ideation Camp for Entrepreneurs, where young entrepreneurs are invited to create their own business.
With a plethora of activities, Jordan shows its entrepreneurial might. From a seminar on intellectual property rights to open discussions on the problems faced by new companies to presentations on lowering the economic impact of Syrian refugees, the 100+ events hosted by Jordan address a range of topics relating to business and the economy. One common theme is encouraging entrepreneurship in women, with a variety of presentations and talks supporting this goal.
Our favorite? A talk hosted by the cool, new Umniah Accelerator on 23 November.
Lebanon's GEW is downright techie from discussions on user experience design to workshops that focus on real life activities like networking or pitching. Although only hosting 29 events, this version of GEW is more focused on developing skills for entrepreneurs, although there are broader discussions dealing with topics like making success out of failure.
Our favorite? Paintballing. Not sure what this has to do with start-ups, but sounds like a lot of fun.
Although the country is listed as not having any activities related to the GEW, they are hosting the 5th Entrepreneurial Summit in Marrakesh . Word to the wise, tickets have sold out already so it might be best to check out streaming videos of this event rather than try to attend in person.
Hosting three events, Oman's GEW is small, but packs a punch. In addition to Women's Entrepreneurship Day, there will be an announcement about the winners of the CELL accelerator program. Winners will then take part in a start-up BootCamp from January - February 2015.
With over 29 events located in the West Bank and Gaza, GEW in Palestine features practical workshops on topics like coding or how to earn money online, and encouraging events like empowering university students in business. Some fun events include Yoga for Entrepreneurs as well as Recycling Week.
Our favorite? "Startup Weekend" Palestine. Similar to "Startup Weekend" Bahrain, individuals pitch ideas to peers to receive feedback, after which teams form around the most popular ideas. Groups then spend 54 hours building a business model, coding and designing. They then present their ideas to local established entrepreneurs for feedback.
Catering to a range of professionals, GEW in Qatar offers presentations on how SMEs can grow their digital followings; how entrepreneurs can leverage global media and how to effectively handle stress, while building a business. Although a lot of the activities are directed towards people who are already in business and are managing companies, there are also workshops on more basic advice like how to create a killer pitch.
Our favorite? Al Jazeera's "We'll Make You Media Ready! Pilot Interviews!" where they will help train individuals for the TV. Talk about learning from the best.
With just two events, GEW in KSA is tiny but still worthwhile. Check out a workshop "A Journey through Entrepreneurship."
Mostly focused on youth, the UAE's GEW offers 16 events, ranging from discussions by students who own small businesses to ways to connect with entrepreneurial high school students.
Our favorite? Dubai Men's College Business Idea Competition "Shark Tank"... we hope it is as riveting as the TV show.
Attending an event? Tag us #StepFeed and share your experience with us.