WASHINGTON, D.C. (PRWEB) October 30, 2014

Global Entrepreneurship Week today announced its annual ‘GEW 50’ – a list of 50 innovative new companies selected as finalists of its Startup Open competition. Sixty-four percent of the startups on the list originated outside of the United States.

The GEW 50 recognizes startups from 19 countries representing an even more diverse range of industries—including biotechnology, communications, education, energy, entertainment, fashion, finance, health/medical and more.

“Entrepreneurship is more than just the latest collection of mobile apps targeted toward consumer convenience and entertainment,” said Jonathan Ortmans, president of Global Entrepreneurship Week. “It is an increasingly global phenomenon with new and young firms driving innovation and solving real-world challenges regardless of where they are located.”

Last year’s Startup Open grand prize winner, Teddy the Guardian, is one example of a successful young startup with a primary focus outside of the mobile apps industry. The Croatian startup is based on a children’s toy that doubles as a health-tracking device through embedded medical sensors.

More than 600 startups from 38 countries entered the competition and were judged on their concept and growth projections for their businesses as well as their knowledge of their industries. Each of the competing startups was required to have a “startup moment” between GEW 2013 and GEW 2014 (Nov. 18, 2013 to Nov. 17, 2014). A “startup moment” is anything that can be interpreted as the company is “open for business,” such as becoming incorporated, completing a first sale or securing outside funding.

The Startup Open grand prize winner will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Milan, Italy, where they will attend the Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) in March 2015. The GEC brings together entrepreneurs, investors, global leaders and startup champions from more than 150 countries to explore the best ways to build and strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems. As part of the experience, the Startup Open winner will have the opportunity to showcase his or her startup on a global scale and meet with potential collaborators, mentors and others to help the startup grow.

The countries represented by the 2014 GEW 50 are: Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, France, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, Romania, Sweden, United Kingdom and the United States.

For a complete list of the GEW 50, visit http://www.startupopen.com/gew50.

Startup Open is organized by Global Entrepreneurship Week and supported by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and Dell.

# # #

About Global Entrepreneurship Week

During one week each November, thousands of events and competitions around the world inspire millions to engage in entrepreneurial activity while connecting them to potential collaborators, mentors and even investors. In six years, Global Entrepreneurship Week has expanded to 150 countries—building and strengthening entrepreneurial ecosystems around the world. Powered by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and sponsored by Dell, the initiative is supported by dozens of world leaders and a network of roughly 10,000 partner organizations. For more information, visit http://www.gew.co and follow GEW on Twitter (@unleashingideas) and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/unleashingideas.

About the Kauffman Foundation

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is a private, nonpartisan foundation that aims to foster economic independence by advancing educational achievement and entrepreneurial success. Founded by late entrepreneur and philanthropist Ewing Marion Kauffman, the Foundation is based in Kansas City, Mo., and has approximately $ 2 billion in assets. For more information, visit http://www.kauffman.org, and follow the Foundation on http://www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and http://www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn.






Find More Economics Press Releases

Tags