A kind of entrepreneurial love fest is happening across the world this week. Global entrepreneurship is being celebrated in Kansas City, across the United States and in 139 countries around the world.
The event, called 'Global Entrepreneurship Week,' is a mash up of events, workshops and competitions celebrating innovative startups.
Kansas City business networking site, KCSourcelink.com, says the events will, "unite millions of innovators, job creators, business owners, world leaders, celebrity entrepreneurs and companies under the celebration of entrepreneurship.”
Co-founded and sponsored by Kansas City based Kauffman Foundation, this year’s Global Entrepreneurship Week will bring celebrity speakers including Bill Aulet, of the Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship at MIT, and Barbara Corcoran of ABC’s hit TV show Shark Tank as two of many speakers throughout the rest of the week.
Kansas City’s entrepreneurial royalty also will be involved. Among them Danny O’Neill, who founded the Roasterie Coffee Company in his Brookside Basement 20 years ago. Since then, The Roasterie has grown into an international coffee distributor.
O'Neill says the Global Entrepreneurship Week in Kansas City highlights the exciting local entrepreneurial environment.
“Oh my God, this is awesome!” he says. “(It) shines a spotlight on all the organizations and support structure behind (local entrepreneurs.) You can go to a lot of cities and they don’t’ have near the support structure we have.”
