Reboot, Rethink, Regenerate…and Reconvene.
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Reuniting the world, building one global, entrepreneurial ecosystem.
In just over a month, the world will come together again in support of doers, makers and dreamers. Distinguished representatives from almost 200 countries will join in conversations, learn from each other, and celebrate together in the spirit of community and entrepreneurship.
Four years ago, I had the honor and privilege of representing the United States as a delegate to the Global Entrepreneurship Congress. It was an amazing entourage of ecosystem builders I had passing knowledge of back then, who are now friends and colleagues. I may have been a bit starstruck; there were definitely feelings of imposter syndrome, mixed with excitement as we explored the magical city of Istanbul, and all that was happening around the entrepreneurial global. How apropos to gather at the crossroads of the world, a perfect backdrop for my first encounter and foray into this realm.
From the Turkish President, to the founder of Black Tech Week, and a NASA astronaut, the collection of speakers and attendees were diverse and robust. The goal was not to agree, but to widen our understanding and garner the wisdom beneficial for our respective communities. I shared some of the takeaways from that experience. I arrived knowing a handful of people, and left with a cohort of global resources from various places, including Armenia, Peru, India, Canada, and Nigeria.
The following year, as a seasoned sophomore, I reunited with my comrades in Bahrain to hear from policymakers and funders, mingle with successful founders and aspiring ecosystem builders. While our origin stories vary, we are united in the desire to expand our knowledge and skill set.
The most surreal experience of that trip took place in a restaurant close to midnight. In attendance were members of the US delegation, astropreneurs from GEN Space and representatives of the Kauffman Foundation. We huddled together…