Global Entrepreneurship Week begins in 130 countries

As economists and policymakers alike focus on the coming fiscal cliff in the U.S. and its global impact, thousands of new startups are springing to life and millions of people are exploring their entrepreneurial potential — all during one week.

For the fifth consecutive year, Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) features a wide range of events, activities and competitions designed to strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystems that are responsible for job creation and economic growth.

“Today marks the beginning of another celebration of the new and young firms that are fundamental for sustainable growth and stability, not just in the U.S. but around the world,” said Jonathan Ortmans, president of Global Entrepreneurship Week. “This new generation of startups is unleashing ideas through the marketplace that not only create wealth, but that solve challenges and improve our daily lives.”

An initiative of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, GEW connects people through activities designed to help them acquire the skills and networks necessary to take the next step, no matter where they are along the startup spectrum. National campaigns in 130 countries are in full swing as more than 24,000 partner organizations hold nearly 40,000 activities.

GEW kicks off the week naming Dropifi as the grand prize winner of the Startup Open, a competition that recognizes the year’s most innovative new company. The young cofounders from Ghana took the top prize for their “smart” widget that replaces static “contact us” forms — reading such things as personalities and emotions, allowing companies to better analyze incoming messages and route them accordingly. Dropifi won an all-expenses-paid trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in March 2013 to attend one of the world’s largest gatherings of startup champions, the Global Entrepreneurship Congress.

While GEW has just officially started, hundreds of startups have already sprung to life through Startup Weekend events in 66 cities around the world since Friday. These boot camp style events move participants rapidly from idea to minimum viable product in 54 hours. Another 65 cities are set to host similar events next weekend with the winners from both weekends competing against each other in a Global Startup Battle. Organizers estimate that more than 1,200 new startups could be formed over these two weekends alone.

Winning the top prize for one of the early competitions as a part of GEW – the Cleantech Open Global Ideas Competition – was Biosyntia of Denmark. It won for its work in helping chemical manufacturers move to biochemical methods while reducing costs and CO2 emissions.

Other highlights coming later this week include:

Entrepreneurs 2012: GEW’s Jonathan Ortmans joins former U.S. President Bill Clinton and an impressive list of keynote speakers at the four-day business conference in London.

Get In the Ring: Hosted in the Netherlands, this event includes entrepreneurs from 17 countries who pitch a panel of  investors in an effort to secure anywhere from €100,000 - €1,000,000 in startup capital.

Meet the Lions: Africa’s promising young startups compete through pitch competitions across the continent.

Global Student Entrepreneur Awards: Students who own and run businesses while attending a high school, college or university battle for the title of Global Student Entrepreneur of the Year and their share of more than $150,000 in business support services.

Creative Business Cup: National winners from the creative industries in 23 countries pitch revolutionary ideas with strong market potential as they face off in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The Startup Kids: San Francisco, London and Berlin host featured screenings of this documentary film on young web entrepreneurs — including interviews with the founders of Dropbox, Vimeo, Soundcloud and more.

Cairo Startup Cup: More than 160 applicants have been narrowed to seven finalists competing in this business model competition in Egypt.

Growing SMEs: Princess Maxima of the Netherlands headlines this international conference in The Hague to explore trends in developing, growing and financing small and medium enterprises.

World Series of Innovation: Fun, experiential learning is the focus of this global classroom activity that allows students to think creatively and invent new products that address everyday opportunities through one of five innovation challenges.

Nordic Startup Awards: The national finals in Denmark, Norway and Finland take place during GEW and lead into the grand finale in early December.