Malaysia: 4th Global Entrepreneurship Summit, 11-12 October, Kuala Lumpur

GES_logo_resized_TINKuala Lumpur – Registrations are open for the 4th Global Entrepreneurship Summit to be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur between 11-12 October. More than 3,000 entrepreneurs, speakers, investors and policy-makers from over 50 countries are projected to attend the event, originally initiated by U.S. President Barack Obama to create “the next generation of dreamers, creators and builders.”

GES was launched as a global platform “to empower entrepreneurs with the skills and resources necessary to compete and thrive in the 21st century”. First held in Washington in 2009, it was subsequently held in Turkey and Dubai, and has since become a platform for global business leaders and entrepreneurs to exchange views, dialogues and ideas with a common goal of facilitating and fostering entrepreneurs in various forms. Additionally, GES also helps disseminate the value that entrepreneurial activities bring to the wider community and the world at large.

During the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship (April 26-27, 2010) held in Washington D.C., President Obama highlighted the important roles that entrepreneurship can play in expanding opportunity at home and abroad.

This year’s 4th Summit is organized by the Ministry of Finance (MoF) under the patronage of the Prime Minister, with the theme “Empowering and Connecting Entrepreneurs”. Spearheading the Steering Committee of the summit is Tan Sri Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, Secretary General of the Treasury at MoF.

“We are very excited about the forthcoming 4th GES and the other events that will lead up to it,” he said. There are more than 93 speakers representing over 90 organizations from more than 70 countries speaking at this Summit.

As Malaysia heads towards a developed and high income nation by 2020, in this regards innovators and creators are the main components that will drive the economy towards this vision and it is important for Malaysia to host the 4th Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2013. “We hope Malaysian entrepreneurs and youth take full advantage of the many learning and sharing opportunities that will be available to them, to network and exchange ideas in a truly global platform,” he added.

The GES has evolved into a strategic public-private sector initiated that transcends borders and industries – and brings together expertise and experience in Businesses, Social Works, Women’s Issues, Public Policies and Education.

President Obama is scheduled to deliver the keynote address and he will speak about the importance of entrepreneurship, particularly for young people, in driving economic progress.

According to President Obama, “Together, these changes will help us capitalise on our greatest resource: our youth. It is up to us to show leadership, and build economies that are prepared for the future. We must be willing to confront old assumptions and embrace new technologies; to open up our economies and reform our politics. This will not always be easy. There will be challenges and uncertainties. But reform is necessary, and history shows us it is right.

“Let’s keep creating the next generation of dreamers, and creators, and builders. Let’s close the skills gap with education that truly prepares our children for the jobs of the future. Let’s help entrepreneurs harness the latest technology to build new networks of cooperation. Let’s make it even easier to access capital.”

The theme will empower stakeholders from throughout the entrepreneurship ecosystem to share ideas and best practices and develop solutions for some of the most intractable issues that prevent the growth of entrepreneurship and business.

According to Ben Rhodes, President Obama’s Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications (Digital News Asia, August 06, 2013), “Malaysia is a perfect venue for a global entrepreneurship summit. It has an economy that is growing; an economy that is an engine of growth for this region; and one that is increasingly connected to the global economy.”

“Ultimately, cooperation and collaboration between people in the United States and people in Malaysia is going to be a win-win situation for both countries,” he added.

Spearheaded by MDeC and SME Corp, and with invaluable input from the White House and various entrepreneurial organizations, NGOs, private and public sectors, the two-day summit will feature top-draw speakers who will tackle controversial issues and hot topics that entrepreneurs are passionate about.

The creation of the track design, delivery modes and topics were driven by key guiding principles that aim to retain the audience throughout the summit, prevent monotony and boredom, create a sense of anticipation and promote interaction amongst speakers and delegates. A smorgasbord of topics was formulated with the objective to promote inclusiveness amongst the entrepreneurial community. The wide-ranging topics stem from four pillars or tracks that reflect and fete the spirit of entrepreneurship. They are:

1. Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

2. Creating Tomorrow’s Game-changers

3. Emerging Trends

4. Connecting for Growth

The 4th GES 2013 promises an exciting summit program where more than 100 speakers from across the globe will share their insights and success stories on, among others, innovative business models, disruptive innovations, digital entrepreneurship, funding ecosystem, developing and retaining talent, youth/women/social entrepreneurship, start-ups going global, making millions from nothing and many more.

As aptly summed up by Rhodes, (Digital News Asia, August 06, 2013), he said, “That’s why the summit is so important – it’s all these people coming together and sharing different perspectives, but finding a ‘common language of entrepreneurship’.”

For more information, please visit www.geskualalumpur2013.org, or contact: secretariat@geskualalumpur2013.org.

PROGRAM SUMMARY

(+) Emerging trends in the startup scene, with special focus on Asia

(+) Creating tomorrow’s game changers

(+) Building an entrepreneurial ecosystem

(+) Connecting for Growth

(+) Startup Academy workshops

(+) Founder/Mentor matchmaking sessions and networking opportunities

(+) Insider’s Roundtable on Malaysia and ASEAN

(+) Young Entrepreneurs Forum, including finalists from the Global Innovation through Science and Technology’s (GIST) Tech-I competition.

(+) International Entrepreneurs Showcase and Expo

(+) Policy Roundtable for senior policymakers to discuss fostering high growth entrepreneurship (+) University Sessions

TOPICS

(+) The Entrepreneurial University

(+) Job creation through SMEs and start-ups

(+) Start-ups Going Global

(+) Social Media and Beyond

(+) Crowdfunding as a Source of Capital for Small-scale Enterprises: Opportunities and Challenges

(+) The Day My Business Went Bust – Celebrating Failure

(+) Fostering Green Opportunities

(+) Developing your Team: Attracting, developing and retaining talent, locally or globally.

(+) Innovative Solutions for the “Bottom Billion”: Low tech and No-tech Entrepreneurship

(+) The Emerging Market Start-up Scene

(+) The Social Entrepreneur

(+) Follow the money: Strengthening the investment Climate in Your community – How I Made My First Million

(+) Innovative Business Models

(+) Evolving Roles of Entrepreneurs: Beyond profitability

(+) You Go Girl! – The Woman Entrepreneur