GEW Canada 2014
Summary Impact Report
From November 17-23, 2014,Futurpreneur Canada celebrated its sixth year as the official host of Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) in Canada! Over the past six years, the organization has worked diligently to build the movement in Canada, with nearly 600 partners making it all possible.
In 2014, Global Entrepreneurship Week impacted millions of people in 150 countries through events and competitions that support and inspire entrepreneurship. Thanks to the hard work of our amazing partners, 536 of these events were hosted in Canada – setting a new record for our country! These events were complimented by a robust communications campaign that involved participation from partners across Canada and reached millions of Canadians. We are pleased to share some of the highlights of this year’s campaign below:
Here are some highlights from GEW Canada 2014:
Celebrations at Universities and Colleges
Canada’s universities and colleges showed their entrepreneurial spirit this year by hosting events and celebrating on social media. Schools like Dawson College, Ryerson University, University of New Brunswick and University of Calgary hosted events throughout the week to support both students and the community. Events ranged from workshops and lectures to networking sessions and pitch competitions.
In addition, eleven volunteer GEW Canada Campus Ambassadorschampioned GEW at their schools by coordinating events, making connections and promoting entrepreneurship.
Day in the Life
Futurpreneur Canada challenged elected officials to experience first-hand what it takes to be an entrepreneur. Elected officials from mayors to ministers are taking time out of their busy days to visit Canadian entrepreneurs at their businesses. Participating elected officials will have the chance to get to know entrepreneurs in their communities and to find out more about what they do and their experiences.
Do it in Durham Celebrations
For the second consecutive year, the entrepreneurial community of Durham Region in Ontario came together to celebrate GEW through the Do it in Durham campaign. This local campaign involved over 40 events hosted by 40 partners and is a true example of how a community can come together to inspire entrepreneurship and support local business.
Focus on Mentoring
A recent international report released by Amway lists that 49% of Canadians think a mentor is critical for new venture creation. As a lead in entrepreneurial mentoring, Futurpreneur Canada made two exciting announcements (see below) related to mentoring during GEW and hosted a virtual panel featuring award winning mentors from Canada and abroad who shared their tips and experiences. On the west coast, MentorshipBC celebrated GEW by running a contest on LinkedIn.
- Launch of the BDC Mentorship Award presented by Futurpreneur Canada
- Launch of eight new mentoring Crash Courses
Get in the Ring
For the first time this year, Futurpreneur Canada hosted the Canadian National round of Get in the Ring, a featured event of GEW founded by the Netherlands-based Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship. This exciting competition is part pitch competition and part boxing match with founders facing off in a boxing ring to determine who will represent North America at the international finals in the Netherlands. Five Canadian start-ups participated in the regional finals hosted by the Kauffman Foundation in Kansas City. The North American champion was Spot on Sciences from Texas and we are proud to share that the runner-up prize went to Asif Khan, founder of Maieutic Enterprises from Waterloo, ON. Read all about the results here.
GEW Canada 2014 City Battle
In a very tight race, Vancouver managed to wrestle the title of “Most Entrepreneurial Canadian City” away from reigning champions, Ottawa by hosting 85 events during GEW and an additional 29 events in the surrounding weeks. Ottawa took the place of runner up by hosting 79 events during GEW (plus an additional 6 in the surrounding weeks).
These cities truly embodied the spirit of GEW by coordinating partners from all sectors to band together as one force in support of entrepreneurship. Special mention must also be made for Toronto and Montreal who emerged as leaders this year as well.
Global Business Angels Day
Canada celebrated the first ever Global Business Angels Day on November 20th. This year’s celebrations were spearheaded by the National Angel Capital Organization (NACO)who launched a cross-Canada campaign to champion angel investors and the successful entrepreneurs they work with.
Unleash your Inner Entrepreneur
Ten Enactus teams are participating in the Unleash Your Inner Entrepreneur program to educate Canadians, aged 18 to 24, about entrepreneurship as a viable career option and inspire them to become entrepreneurs. As part of this program the teams are delivering workshops and hosting events during GEW.
Women’s Entrepreneurship Day
Canada celebrated Women’s Entrepreneurship Day on November 19th through events and a social media campaign featuring the voices of women entrepreneurs such as Vicki Saunders Founder of SheEO, Kelsey Ramsden, Founder of and SparkPlay, Samantha Chan, Founder of Paintlounge and Lisa Von Sturmer, Founder of Growing City and Canadian Women’s Entrepreneurship Day Ambassador.
Media Coverage and Official Statements
We’ve seen some great coverage of this year’s activities and invite you to take a look at some of the media highlights below.
The week kicked off with statements from Prime Minister Stephen Harper and The Honourable Maxime Bernier and The Honourable Brad Duguid.
Vancouver named most entrepreneurial city in Canada
Business in Vancouver, November 26, 2014
Vancouver battling Ottawa for entrepreneurial spirit
Ottawa Business Journal, November 18, 2014
WesternU: Startup Showcase
London Free Press, November 19, 2014
Student entrepreneurs pitch business ideas
Cape Breton Post, November 18, 2014
Opinion: Climate ripe for young entrepreneurs in Canada
Vancouver Sun, November 17th, 2014
Celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week!
YouInc.com, November 19th, 2014
Celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week
Small Business BC blog, November 17th, 2014
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