Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES)
Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES)
The stage is set for the eighth Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES), beginning in Hyderabad with focus on women entrepreneurs and all eyes on US President Donald Trump’s daughter and advisor Ivanka Trump.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Ivanka Trump will inaugurate the three-day event themed around “Women First, Prosperity for All“.
According to a report in The Times of India, a bot made by Bengaluru-based Invento, named Mitra, will greet both Modi and Ivanka Trump at the summit. There will be two such bots at the event. The one on the dias will declare the summit inaugurated once Modi and Ivanka Trump press a button.
What is the summit all about?
GES, a personal initiative of former US President Barack Obama to bring entrepreneurs from across the globe on one platform, made a beginning in 2010 in Washington and thereafter it has been hosted by Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Morocco and Kenya.
In 2016, Silicon Valley hosted the GES. India was given opportunity to host GES during Modi’s US visit in June.
This is first time it is being held in India. The summit is taking place at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC) in Hitec City, the Information Technology hub. The event will bring together 1,500 emerging entrepreneurs and investors, and ecosystem supporters from 150 countries for training and mentoring sessions, networking and investment matchmaking.
The US State Department and other American agencies in partnership with NITI Aayog, India’s think tank, are organising GES, which seeks to create an environment that empowers innovators, particularly women, to take their ideas to the next level.
The 2017 event will focus on four innovative
- High-growth industries
- Healthcare and life sciences
- Digital economy and financial technology
- Energy and infrastructure and media and entertainment
The delegates include about 400 each from India and the US and the remaining from rest of the world.
Women will represent 52.5 percent of the participants, the highest in GES’ history. Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Israel are among 10 countries being represented by all-female delegations.
Over 100 innovative start-ups, products, services and processes will be exhibited through a multi-touch interactive wall, sensor-enabled touch screens, rotoscope mural technology and physical displays.
The prominent speakers include John Chambers, Chairman, USISPF; Cherie Blair, Founder, Cherie Blair Foundation for Women; Prem Watsa, Chairman and CEO, Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd; Marcus Wallenberg, Chairman, SEB, a Swedish financial group; Chanda Kochhar, Managing Director and CEO, ICICI Bank and Tessy Thomas, Director, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
