Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) is an international movement – powered by thousands of partner organizations dedicated to making it possible for anyone, anywhere to start and scale a company.
GEW 2020 will be celebrated from November 16 – 22, 2020, with national campaigns in 180 countries – engaging millions of participants in activities.
For the first time ever, the Dan River Region will be joining the movement to showcase our local entrepreneurial spirit and activity. The Dan River Region Entrepreneur Ecosystem (DRREE) has been selected as the official community organizer for GEW 2020.
The Dan River Region Entrepreneur Ecosystem will be collaborating with entrepreneurs and innovators alike to celebrate and highlight the local entrepreneurial ecosystem. With a focus on high-quality programming and inclusivity, this first year with GEW will have a very strong ‘grassroots to government’ presence.
The exciting week of events will include a formal proclamation ceremony given by the Danville City Council, as well as, an address by Mayor Alonzo Jones for the first annual "Entrepreneurship Day" in the city of Danville.
Additionally, youth entrepreneurship will be a very big highlight this year. Danville Community College (DCC) along with their education partners will be hosting the “Student Entrepreneurs: Small Business Idea Fair.” The virtual program will take place on November 19th, with participation from regional middle and high schools to DCC’s business students. They will all be pitching their small business ideas to a panel of expert judges. Alongside the invaluable feedback the students will be receiving, there will also be technology prizes awarded to help them learn and grow their business acumen.
“DCC is very excited to be part of GEW and we are looking forward to again hosting student entrepreneurs at an idea fair, although this year we must do it virtually. Previous years have seen numerous innovative ideas turned into small businesses, the backbone of our economy. We anticipate sharing similar outcomes from this year’s programming as well.” Dr. Paul Fox, Dean of Arts, Sciences and Business at DCC.
The well-rounded schedule represents the talent and potential of our rural entrepreneurial ecosystem. There is engagement and enthusiasm, from student entrepreneurs to ecosystem builders, coming together to participate in Global Entrepreneurship Week.
So come join and share the events in efforts to help celebrate and support our local entrepreneurs! Full Schedule of public events can be viewed here, and, all GEW 2020 event updates can be found on the DRREE Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EntrepreneursDanRiver/
Since early 2014, The Dan River Region (DRR) has been intentionally building its entrepreneurial ecosystem, in order to create pathways to push momentum forward, break down silos and facilitate opportunities for entrepreneurs across the region to collide in new and innovative ways. The highly collaborative project includes a consortium of 11 resource provider organizations in the Dan River Region that help entrepreneurs and small businesses: The Launch Place, The Danville Pittsylvania County Chamber of Commerce, the River District Association, Danville Community College, The Institute for Advanced Learning, Pittsylvania County Economic Development, Longwood Small Business Development Center, Caswell County Economic Development, Danville NAACP, Averett College, and the City of Danville Economic Development Office. To learn more, visit: https://www.entrepreneurecosystem.org/