ASU's Thunderbird School of Global Management and the City of Phoenix Showcase Entrepreneurial Ecosystem with Launch of Global Entrepreneurship Week

PHOENIX, Nov. 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University (ASU) has been selected by the Global Entrepreneurship Network to launch Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) on November 6 at the school's new state-of-the-art global headquarters in Phoenix, Ariz.

GEW is an international movement, powered by the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) with support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, dedicated to making it possible for anyone, anywhere to start and scale a company. Over the course of the week, more than 10 million people will take part in 40,000 activities and events in 200 countries. An annual event, GEW unleashes more than $150 million to support entrepreneurs each November – from large, national campaigns down to small, local activities and everything in between.

"Phoenix is an up-and-coming startup hub supported by community leaders and institutions that recognize entrepreneurship is key to building economies back better post-pandemic," said Jonathan Ortmans, founder and president of the GEN. "Today's launch is among the first of 40,000 events taking place globally to celebrate the world's most creative, innovative and resilient citizens – and support them to become part of a more sustainable and more equitable post-pandemic world."

"Thunderbird shares the Global Entrepreneurship Network's passion for equipping individuals and communities around the world with the skill sets and mindset to advance sustainable and inclusive prosperity through entrepreneurship," said Thunderbird Director General and Dean, Dr. Sanjeev Khagram. "We are honored with the privilege of launching such a transformative event at our new global headquarters in downtown Phoenix, itself a model for the power of educational institutions and cities as entrepreneurial hubs."

The City of Phoenix is listed as a "Top 100 Emerging Ecosystem" in the Startup Global Ecosystem Report – the world's most comprehensive and widely read research on startups with 280 entrepreneurial innovation ecosystems and 3 million startups analyzed.

One example of the power of educational institutions and cities working together to nurture vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystems is Phoenix Global Rising. Launched earlier this year by Thunderbird, it is a transformative multi-stakeholder initiative committed to making the city a cosmopolitan innovation and inclusion vanguard for the 21st century. It reflects the inspirational leadership of Mayor Kate Gallego and focuses on major collaborative action projects with leading global organizations in Phoenix across the private, public and nonprofit sectors.

Since 2004, more than 200,000 people across more than 100 countries have graduated from Thunderbird's entrepreneurship programs such as DreamBuilder. They are creating jobs, sharing knowledge and improving living conditions in their communities. The latest in this long line of programs – and another example of the power of educational institutions to nurture entrepreneurial innovation – is the new A. Masrin Center for Global Entrepreneurship and Family Business. Housed at Thunderbird's global headquarters, the center is named after the entrepreneurial father of distinguished Thunderbird alumnus Jimmy Masrin '87, who is President, Director, and CEO of PT Caturkarsa Megatunggal based in Jakarta, Indonesia.

"In times of accelerated change, family business owners and leaders have an important role in promoting innovative and entrepreneurial solutions to the many challenges we are currently facing," Masrin said. "I wanted to invest in family business and entrepreneurship at Thunderbird to build much-needed bridges between the communities of entrepreneurs and business leaders, helping us all better prepare for the Fourth Industrial Revolution."

Dr. Khagram explained that the A. Masrin Center distinguishes itself from other universities' entrepreneurship programs through a unique focus on two core principles: inclusion and global mindset. "With a world undergoing rapid change and disruption, family businesses have the opportunity to play a protagonist role in driving innovation and economic resilience. The center will help us support these family businesses and entrepreneurs who will further our vision of sustainable and equitable prosperity."

The fact that Thunderbird was selected for the launch of Global Entrepreneurship Week is reflective of the entrepreneurial ecosystem the school and the City of Phoenix have worked hard to cultivate – an ecosystem strengthened by events like GEW and programs like Phoenix Global Rising and the A. Masrin Center.

About Thunderbird School of Global Management

Thunderbird School of Global Management is a unit of the Arizona State University Enterprise. For more than 70 years, Thunderbird has been the vanguard of global management and leadership education, creating inclusive and sustainable prosperity worldwide by educating future-ready global leaders capable of tackling the world's greatest challenges. Thunderbird's Master of Global Management was ranked #1 in the world for 2019 by the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education. ASU is ranked No. 1 "Most Innovative School" in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for five years in succession. To learn more visit thunderbird.asu.edu.

About Global Entrepreneurship Network

The Global Entrepreneurship Network operates a platform of projects and programs in 180+ countries aimed at making it easier for anyone, anywhere to start and scale a business. By fostering deeper cross-border collaboration and initiatives between entrepreneurs, investors, researchers, policymakers and entrepreneurial support organizations, GEN works to fuel healthier start and scale ecosystems that create more jobs, educate individuals, accelerate innovation and strengthen economic growth. Learn more about GEN at genglobal.org and by following us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

For more information on Global Entrepreneurship Week, visit www.gew.co.

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SOURCE Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University