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Global Entrepreneurship Week turned 18 last month - and how it’s grown - since 2008 it has evolved from a campaign to an annual global festival. GEW was the brainchild of Gordon Brown with his vision to increase opportunities for young people everywhere through the meritocracy of entrepreneurship - make a job don’t take a job. GEW is now celebrated in 200 countries.

Here in the UK we launched GEW with the Market Opening Ceremony streamed live from the London Stock Exchange. Alpesh Patel OBE (Entrepreneur and Global Entrepreneurs Programme, Department for Business and Trade) followed with an energising keynote at the Enterprise Summit ahead of conversations with entrepreneur stars Deborah Meaden, Greg Jackson CBE, Anne Boden MBE, Grace Graham, Larry Sullivan, and Paul Lindley OBE.

Over at the British Library they held a packed Start-Up Day conference which was being streamed to the Business and IP Centre national network that supports over 40,000 people start and grow their business every year.

The next day there were roundtables at Marlborough House, Commonwealth Secretariat HQ. During the discussions around Diaspora Entrepreneurship and Economic Resilience, the first Commonwealth Innovation Week was announced to run in parallel with GEW.

Women’s Entrepreneurship Day was celebrated at the House of Lords. Lord Errol, Helene Martin Gee and GEN UK hosted a special GEW Business & Parliament Forum exploring key outcomes from Savvitas’ new White Paper, Rethinking Capital: The Systems, Behaviour and Momentum Driving a New Economic Architecture. https://www.savvitas.com/reports-thought-leadership/savvitas-wbw-rethinking-capital-white-paper-2025
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Later the MP HERoes GEW Autumn Summit was held which featured compelling personal stories resulting from linking MPs with a successful woman entrepreneur in their constituency.

The week ended at the NatWest conference centre where NatWest hosted a celebration of inclusive entrepreneurship with a series of business experts offering practical advice.

Across the week we shared insights and ideas from 30 of the UK’s leading entrepreneurs on their success and what they think is needed to help thrive. Wherever you were celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week it is clear that entrepreneurship in the UK is very much alive and kicking.

Each day during Global Entrepreneurship Week we have shared ideas and insights from 30 of the UK’s leading as they outline what is needed to help thrive – and call on the Government to back them. Huge thanks to them, and here are a few of their thoughts.

“We need much improved communication, collaboration and understanding between business and government.”
Dr Robert Kilgour, Founder & CEO, Dow Investments

“When more women, diverse founders and regional entrepreneurs have the belief, networks and capital to build big, we fuel innovation, drive regional growth and start to close the wealth gap.”
Sam Smith, Founder SuperScalers and finnCap

"Ensuring entrepreneurship brings the same prosperity and security to the UK as it has to the US starts with Government: incentivising the flow of cash into startups through taxation, the flow of talent into startups through improving EMI and Entrepreneur’s Relief and visas for technical talent."
Alex Stephany, Founder CEO, Beam

"We need to start far earlier – by teaching creativity as seriously as we teach literacy."
Larry Sullivan, Founder, Leo Lion

"If female founders had equal access to capital and opportunity, the UK economy could be £310 billion bigger. This fact is detailed in a recent Women and Equalities Committee report on Female Entrepreneurship. By directing just 10% of investment specifically to women it would be a game changing for economic growth in the UK, as well as helping to reignite the IPO runway."
Joanna Jensen, Founder, Childs Farm

Find out more at https://www.gew.co

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Catch up on demand with the daily coverage of Global Entrepreneurship Week from Bloomsbury Radio.

Starting with GEW Its A Wrap hosted by Arif Zaman with guests Maahika Singh, founder, Empower Sounds Media, Tara Akindele, founder, Flohaven, Ryan Johnson, lead for Startup Huddle Oxford, and Marc Ortmans, chair, GEN UK.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0L0Fwf9Qx6JQotT2qU3bt4?si=95cfb6f5705046a7
https://www.bil.ac.uk/about-us/community/radio/

In celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week, 30 of the UK’s leading founders outline what they think is needed to help entrepreneurs thrive – and call on the Government to back them. Here’s what Anuj Gupta, Martin Leuw, Maya Moufarek, and Brett Wigdortz say.

“We must invest in the human side of enterprise: confidence, collaboration, and curiosity.”
Anuj Gupta, Founder, Greenvan

“We need to embed entrepreneurial education early, teaching creativity, problem-solving, and resilience through hands-on projects that connect schools and universities with real businesses.
Martin Leuw, Founder, Growth4Good

“We need to send a clear signal: if you’re talented, hardworking, and ready to build something significant, Britain doesn’t just offer a path to success. It actively wants you to succeed spectacularly.”
Maya Moufarek, Founder, Marketingcube.co

“What many lack isn’t talent or drive, but access and encouragement. I’ve seen time and again that when someone believes in you early on, it can change everything. We need to build a culture that celebrates people who take a chance to do something better, not just for themselves but for their communities.”
Brett Wigdortz, Founder, Teach First and Tiney.co

Find out more at https://gew.co

In celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week, 30 of the UK’s leading founders outline what they think is needed to help entrepreneurs thrive – and call on the Government to back them. Here’s what Sam Smith, Dr Robert Kilgour, Claude Littner and Jamie Waller say.

“When more women, diverse founders and regional entrepreneurs have the belief, networks and capital to build big, we fuel innovation, drive regional growth and start to close the wealth gap.”
Sam Smith, Founder SuperScalers and finnCap

“We need much improved communication, collaboration and understanding between business and government.”
Dr Robert Kilgour, Founder & CEO, Dow Investments

“Forward-thinking entrepreneurs constantly study their competition, not just their products, but their structures, systems and efficiencies.”
Claude Littner, Businessperson; The Apprentice ‘Judge’

“Imagine a UK where founders and the people who join them pay less tax for the first ten years of a start-up's life.”
Jamie Waller, Founder, JBW Group

Find out more at https://gew.co

In celebration of 30 of the UK’s leading founders outline what they think is needed to help entrepreneurs thrive – and call on the Government to back them. Here’s what Larry Sullivan, and Alex Stephany say.

"We need to start far earlier – by teaching creativity as seriously as we teach literacy."
Larry Sullivan, Founder, Leo Lion

“To help entrepreneurship thrive in the UK, we must make it truly accessible."
Grace Graham, Founder CEO, WorkSpa

"Ensuring entrepreneurship brings the same prosperity and security to the UK as it has to the US starts with Government: incentivising the flow of cash into startups through taxation, the flow of talent into startups through improving EMI and Entrepreneur’s Relief and visas for technical talent."
Alex Stephany, Founder CEO, Beam

Take part in at https://www.gew.co
Listen live on Bloomsbury Radio https://www.bil.ac.uk/about-us/community/radio/

Today is WEDnesday and we are celebrating Women's Enterprise Day as part of
. GEN UK will be at the House of Lords with our partners who are hosting two very special events focused on advancing opportunities for . A forum of business leaders will explore new funding models for female founded businesses as outlined in a new white paper, Rethinking Capital. Later the MP HERoes alumnae and MPs will attend the launch of MP HERoes 2026. And catch 's interview with
and BUY WOMEN BUILT member - ON yOUtUBE https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFtlwsyq7d_TQJaUOl-9uiZBcZ6e8iQfB Further daily coverage of Global Entrepreneurship Week from 3pm - 9pm on Bloomsbury Radio - tune in here!
https://www.bil.ac.uk/about-us/community/radio/

In celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week, 30 of the UK’s leading founders outline what they think is needed to help entrepreneurs thrive – and call on the Government to back them. Here’s what Tim Campbell, Joanna Jensen and Alistair Lukies said.

Tim Campbell, Co-Founder, Bright Trust Ideas and Marketing Runners; The Apprentice ‘Judge’

“If you want UK entrepreneurship to thrive, fix the time gap between doing the work and getting paid. ... Entrepreneurship is not short of talent or energy. It is short of time to cash and chances to prove it. Fix payments. Build access. Jobs follow.”

Joanna Jensen, Founder, Childs Farm

"If female founders had equal access to capital and opportunity, the UK economy could be £310 billion bigger. This fact is detailed in a recent Women and Equalities Committee report on Female Entrepreneurship. By directing just 10% of investment specifically to women it would be a game changing for economic growth in the UK, as well as helping to reignite the IPO runway."

Alistair Lukies CBE, Entrepreneur & Chief Engagement Officer, Endava

“We must change our historic, apologetic posture to one of ambition, drive and innovation. If we want to see entrepreneurship truly thrive in the UK, we need to focus our energy on British scale-ups."

Take part in gew2025 at https://www.genglobal.org/gew

Global Entrepreneurship Week 2025 launches in the UK at the London Stock Exchange. Watch the Market Opening Ceremony live at 07.45am 17th November. https://vimeo.com/event/5520582/d2ef44da9c You can be a part of GEW - go to https://gew.co and search events across 200 countries 17-23 November.

Global Entrepreneurship Week starts on Monday, In celebration 30 of the UK’s leading founders outline what they think is needed to help entrepreneurs thrive – and call on the Government to back them. Here are their thoughts.

Annoushka Ducas MBE, Founder, Links of London and Annoushka

“Entrepreneurship happens when creativity and collaboration collide. I’ve always found that the most exciting ideas come from working with people who think differently...”

Nick Wheeler OBE, Founder and Chair, Charles Tyrwhitt

“...Entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes. All are important, but the real gems are the ones who are committed not to making money for themselves, but have the passion and ambition to build something big and for the long term...”

Sir Martin Sorrell, Founder and Executive Chairman, S4 Capital plc

“Certainly, the UK Government could change the base capital gains tax rules to make it more attractive to accumulate capital over time; or change inheritance taxes to make it more attractive to build capital and pass on to future generations; or even stimulate investment in listed equities by institutions and individuals..."

Take part in - find events at https://gew.co 17-23 November

In celebration of Global Entrepreneurship Week, over 20 of the UK’s leading founders outline what is needed to help entrepreneurs thrive – and call on the Government to back them.

Founder and Executive Chairman of S4 Capital PLC, Sir Martin Sorrell said: “The UK Government could change the base capital gains tax rules to make it more attractive to accumulate capital over time or change inheritance taxes to make it more attractive to build capital and pass on to future generations; or even stimulate investment in listed equities by institutions and individuals.

However, the more fundamental issue is the need to celebrate and laud entrepreneurial success, as happens in the USA. Even in China, entrepreneurial success may be more admired. The issue that needs confronting is that too often we don’t hold successful entrepreneurs in high regard, they are not seen as ‘working people’.”

Global Entrepreneurship Week - 17-23 November
Find events near you at gew.co