(PRESS RELEASE) — SLUDTERA would like to inform interested entrepreneurs in St. Lucia, the Caribbean and Latin America, that 100,000 startups are being targeted to compete in the 2019 Entrepreneurship World Cup!
Startup Huddle St. Lucia, a program hosted by SLUDTERA, can be the platform used to prepare St. Lucian entrepreneurs who are interested in applying to compete in the Entrepreneurship World Cup and will be partnering with EWC to get St. Lucians ready for the experience.
What is EWC?
The Entrepreneurship World Cup is more than just a global pitch competition with a shot at life-changing prizes. With 100,000 entrants from around the world, EWC elevates entrepreneurs – providing you with tools and resources to grow your venture.
It doesn’t matter how far you’ve come – idea-stage, early-stage, growth-stage or beyond – EWC can put you on the right course.
Leverage world-class content in the EWC Accelerator to: unleash your ideas, hone your pitching skills and engage with a global network of mentors.
And, oh yeah, compete for those life-changing prizes, together with business opportunities and investment.
Don’t look back and wonder “what if?” Look ahead and wonder “what’s next?”
Riyadh – Up to 100,000 businesses are anticipated to take part in the Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC), a new global program organised by the Misk Foundation and the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) across more than 100 countries.
The initiative was announced on November 15th 2018 at the Misk Global Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The Entrepreneurship World Cup combines a broad-reaching pitch competition, aimed at ventures ranging from idea stage to growth stage, with a virtual accelerator program to help all participants launch, strengthen and scale their enterprises. The participants will be guided through five different stages throughout this year:
5 Stages of Participation
1. Accelerate I – March – May, 2019
Startups are put through a series of education and virtual training opportunities to sharpen their skills around areas such as customer & industry knowledge; personal & team skills; creativity & problem solving, and business acumen.
2. National Competitions – May – June, 2019
Competitions happening simultaneously in 100 countries at the national level, virtually & live events. 100 winning teams from 100 countries are awarded with prizes and advance to stage 3.
3. Accelerate II – July – September, 2019
National winners are put through a combination of virtual training sessions and direct, one-to-one mentorship to prepare them for the Global Finals.
4. Global Final – November 2019
Global finalists are put through live training sessions, network with potential investors and compete on stage for in prizes and support services.
5. Post-EWC Support – All national winners are enrolled in the Starters Club, providing a global peer network, mentorship and other support services to help members reach their full potential. Other partners may be engaged to provide post-EWC support.
The application process for the Entrepreneurship World Cup will start on 31 January 2019, via the EWC website – www.entrepreneurshipworldcup.com.
“According to research recently commissioned by Misk among 25,000 young people around the world, 68 per cent said they would like to start their own business one day,” said Shaima Hamidaddin, the Executive Director of the Misk Global Forum. “Together with GEN, we have created the EWC to help budding business leaders realize their dreams. The contest will assess the potential of ambitious young entrepreneurs and accelerate the growth of their startups. The support provided throughout next year will help contestants to evaluate their business models, grow quickly and possibly develop new and better ideas.”
“While there are many startup competitions around, the focus of the Entrepreneurship World Cup will be on enabling founders to test and improve upon their ideas by providing access to the knowledge and networks that make up the GEN community in 170 countries,” said Jonathan Ortmans, president of the Global Entrepreneurship Network. “Startups are no longer confined to a handful of ecosystems like Silicon Valley and this effort will help make it possible for anyone, anywhere to start and scale a new venture.”
FAQs
What types of startups/companies are able to enter the EWC?
The Entrepreneurship World Cup is open to creative and innovative individuals anywhere on the entrepreneurship spectrum. With categories and prizes for idea-stage, early-stage and growth-stage ventures, the EWC customizes the accelerator resources available and ensures that competitions are conducted on equal footing and for all industries
Will there be prizes? If so, how much?
You bet! EWC is more than just a global pitch competition but it’s still a competition and yes, there are prizes – life-changing prizes. Experiences, connections, investment and more. We’ll share more when we open for applications.
Can social entrepreneurs participate?
The EWC is open to all entrepreneurs – including those focused on starting and scaling social ventures. Register before January 1st and get a head-start.
How is the accelerator run?
The EWC accelerator sessions are run virtually by GEN Accelerates with training content provided by an array of knowledge partners as well as Misk Global Forum and the Global Entrepreneurship Network. For national winners, a second accelerator session introduces one-on-one mentorship sessions.
Are the National Finals live or virtual?
Both. Depending on your country, you may be competing against other entrepreneurs in your country through a virtual platform or in a live, face-to-face competition. It is expected that the number of countries offering live national finals will increase in following years.
Where will the EWC Global Finals be held?
The global finals will be held at the Misk Global Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with finalists’ travel and accommodation fees to be covered The forum, scheduled for November 2019, is a featured event of Global Entrepreneurship Week when 10 million people will participate in 35,000 events, activities and competitions around the world. For more information on the Misk Global Forum, visit miskglobalforum.com. For more information on Global Entrepreneurship Week, visit gew.co.
Why is my country not listed in the drop-down box for participating countries?
The EWC is intended for as broad an audience as possible. However, a very small number of countries may not be able to participate at this time.
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