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Week of March 5 - March 11, 2007

This issue of NDE-news is a wrap-up of EntrepreneurshipWeek USA.
We will return to our regular format with the Monday, March 12 issue.

EntrepreneurshipWeek USA:
The Big Idea Is a Big Success

The first weeklong U.S. celebration stirs innovation across the country

Tens -- if not hundreds -- of thousands of entrepreneurially minded Americans from coast to coast took on big ideas during the inaugural EntrepreneurshipWeek USA, which ran from February 24 to March 3, 2007. In what could be the nation's largest organized event to celebrate entrepreneurship, countless young people were inspired, educated, and prepared to consider entrepreneurship and innovation in all aspects of their lives.

With the theme, “What’s your BIG idea” Take it on!,” the Kauffman Foundation launched EntrepreneurshipWeek USA in collaboration with The New York Times and Inc. magazine to ignite the nation’s consciousness around the importance of being entrepreneurial. The Public Forum Institute managed the initiative.

"We wanted to reach out to all those young people who otherwise might never consider whether they have it in them to create an idea that added new value to society," said Jonathan Ortmans, president of the Public Forum Institute and executive director of EntrepreneurshipWeek USA.  to create a job rather than take a job.

Thousands of events and activities did just that. Held in all 50 states, the types of activities were as diverse as the participants – entrepreneurs, government officials, university and non-profit leaders, educators, and economic development officials participated in contests and conferences, policy summits, and launch parties.

“Interest in entrepreneurship has been rising steadily in recent years, but after this week, it has taken on a whole new dimension,” said Carl Schramm, president and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation. “This event ignited the nation’s awareness of the importance of being entrepreneurial and sparked an inspiration for innovation that will reverberate for years to come.”

EntrepreneurshipWeek USA by the Numbers

Below is a glance at the Big Ideas, fun and buzz created during EntrepreneurshipWeek USA:

• A standing-room only crowd of more than 500 students, alumni, faculty and others at the national launch of The Week on the Stanford University campus

• One national policy summit that gathered hundreds of prominent thought leaders to participate in roundtable discussions on the key policy areas to promoting an entrepreneurial economy

• All 50 governors endorsed The Week during the National Governors' Association winter meeting

• 17 governors and 7 mayors signed proclamations making it EntrepreneurshipWeek in their cities and states

• 350 universities held at least one activity during The Week, with a vast majority scheduling daily activities throughout The Week, like Stanford University and the University of Illinois

• More than 400 teams, with more than 2,000 individuals, competed in the EntrepreneurshipWeek USA Challenge, submitting video entries on how they created value from a pack of Post-Its

• Two groundbreaking reports were released by the Kauffman Foundation that demonstrate the economic impact of entrepreneurship  --  On the Road to an Entrepreneurial Economy: A Research and Policy Guide and the 2007 State New Economy Index

• Several other notable reports were released during The Week, including Where America Stands: Entrepreneurship, the first part in a series of focused analyses on the high-impact drivers of U.S. innovation capacity and competitiveness by the Council on Competitiveness.

• More than 1,300 partners signed up to be part of the initiative, hosting activities in their communities and promoting The Week

• Hundreds of news stories were broadcast, published and posted on Web sites, including outlets such as the Chicago Tribune ("Encouraging Innovation in Chicago"), Inc. ("EntrepreneurshipWeek USA Kicks Off with Workshops, Networking Opportunities"), CNN ("Everyone Wants to Start a Business"), MSN ("A Weeklong Festival for Entrepreneurship"), The Wall Street Journal ("Innovators Matter Most"), Los Angeles Times ("Students Learn Financial Savvy"), and the USA Today ("A Force for Entrepreneurship in America")

• A live webcast drew more than 3,000 attendees across the country.

• Thousands of partner activities attracted a significant amount of local buzz, including: the St. Louis Race to Entrepreneurship an adventure-style race where contestants had to snap photos of entrepreneurship landmarks using cell phone cameras; fifth grade students creating lemonade stands in the West Virginia state capitol building; a Cleantech Innovation competition in Colorado to combine profitability and environmental sustainability; and, many others

• Nearly 30 established entrepreneurs played an active role as Entrepreneurs of The Week, participating in activities online and in person throughout the initiative

• More than 33,000 visits to the EntrepreneurshipWeek USA website during The Week alone and half-a-million pageviews during the initiative

• 45 aspiring young entrepreneurs crowded the stage behind Judith Cone of the Kauffman Foundation for a closing bell ceremony at NASDAQ

“EntrepreneurshipWeek USA proved inspirational for thousands of future entrepreneurs,” Schramm said. “This spark will prove to be a powerful force in our nation’s ability to compete in this global entrepreneurial economy.”

Check Out Some of the Other Highlights

The Update, the e-mail newsletter dedicated to EntrepreneurshipWeek USA, ran overtime during The Week, capturing a handful of highlights from across the country.

View the Update archives

The National Dialogue on Entrepreneurship, an initiative of the Public Forum Institute made possible by a grant from the Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City. Through NDE-news, we bring you short summaries and analyses of various trends driving the innovation economy. Subscribe now to receive your weekly copy. Archived issues are available online. Links to the day's entrepreneurship stories from across the nation and around the world are posted each weekday on the NDE main page - bookmark it and stay informed about the latest entrepreneurship news.

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All stories © 2007 The Public Forum Institute
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