Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) is about showing what happens when founders get the right support: economies grow. Founders aren’t just nice-to-have; they’re the engines turning ideas into jobs, innovation into productivity, and ambition into measurable impact. GEW brings together founders, investors, mentors, and industry leaders in rare spaces where entrepreneurs can test ideas, sharpen strategies, and strengthen their business foundations.
GEW allows hands-on skill building, while inspiring and celebrating founders. Founders get to practise the things that really drive commercial growth: clarifying their value, fine-tuning go-to-market strategies, thinking through operations, and getting investor-ready. Pitching sessions, workshops, and practical discussions give entrepreneurs the chance to sharpen how they communicate value and map out their growth path. The result is greater confidence, challenged assumptions, and skills that move businesses forward.
One of GEW’s biggest strengths is the access founders get to experienced operators, investors, and mentors. Beyond encouragement, these sessions deliver practical advice, constructive feedback, and actionable guidance that’s hard to find in the daily rush of running a business. Founders leave with clearer direction, sharper focus, and a better sense of what it takes to reach the next growth stage. GEW makes this support visible and reminds the ecosystem that founders shouldn’t have to wait for one week a year to get it.
SMEs are the backbone of economies globally, especially in emerging markets. According to the 2025 World Economic Forum, SMEs make up around 90% of businesses worldwide, account for more than half of all jobs, and contribute roughly 50–60% of GDP in many countries. African founders, in particular, are driving jobs, innovation, and economic change. Supporting them is strategic. When founders have access to capital, mentorship, and opportunities, they unlock transformation that ripples across communities and regions.
Global Entrepreneurship Week highlights this reality. As Catherine Young notes, “Founders are carrying far more than their business plans. They are carrying the future of jobs, industries, and communities. When we strengthen them, we strengthen the economic fabric of entire countries.”
During GEW 2024 and 2025, Thinkroom ran initiatives to help Southern African founders grow their skills and confidence. Our annual Rising to the Top Elevator Pitch Competition gave early-stage founders a chance to sharpen their narratives, practise funding asks, and receive real-time feedback from investors and ecosystem experts. Every applicant also accessed Thinkubate, our learner management system and pitching prep masterclass, ensuring they arrived ready with the fundamentals.
Beyond the competition, our GEW workshops focused on strategy, execution, and customer clarity, supporting founders to grow responsibly and drive broader economic resilience.
By putting founders front and centre, Thinkroom shows that the right support, practical skills, and real opportunities make entrepreneurial ecosystems thrive. Every engagement reinforces that backing founders is a strategic move for stronger, more resilient economies. When entrepreneurs grow, economies grow too, and that’s growth worth betting on.
If you’d like to learn more about Thinkroom and what we do, why we do it and who we do it for, read more here.
