Startup Initiatives Sprout from Global Entrepreneurship Week

BY Carol Tice

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Many business owners may not have felt like whooping it up this week, even though it was Global Entrepreneurship Week. As it was with GEW last year and the year before, many economies continue to struggle.

What's to celebrate? The fact that GEW has inspired so many different activities and events that support entrepreneurship. Now, it's more like a year-round movement than a week. It's also truly global, bringing business ideas and innovations to many countries that need them even more than we do.

Here is a look at some of the new GEW-inspired programs that will keep startups growing in the months to come:

Kauffman Global Partners Network is a new initiative of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation that will support entrepreneurs by growing more business incubators and accelerator programs, and helping entrepreneurs access the capital they need to grow. You can apply to participate in the program through December 5.

Fall has GEW, and now spring has the Global Entrepreneurship Congress, which will meet for the third time this March, this time in Liverpool, UK. Startup entrepreneurs and thought leaders from 120 countries are already signed up to attend.

The Clean Tech Open Global Forum, which meets during GEW, has raised more than $280 million in private funding for startups, 80 percent of which are still up and running today. More than 2,000 new clean-tech jobs have been created by the initiative. Winners receive $250,000 in funding and services. There are regional competitions and winners, too.

The GEW-related Startup Open recognized 50 startups from countries around the world. It's open to any entrepreneurs who have started or have a business plan for a venture in the previous year -- so get started on your idea for GEW 2012.

Startup Weekend bootcamps are spreading like a viral blog post -- 60 cities participated in 54-hour entrepreneurial brainstorm events in cities from Denmark to Macedonia to Denver.