Social Entrepreneurship To Be the Focus of Global Entrepreneurship Week

Western New Mexico University will celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week with a workshop on Tuesday, Nov. 14, and a lecture on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017.

© Western New Mexico University

Western New Mexico University will celebrate Global Entrepreneurship Week on Tuesday, Nov. 14, and Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017.

An initiative created in 2008, Global Entrepreneurship Week is a chance for countries, universities, mentors, investors and other collaborators to engage in and promote entrepreneurial activity. This is WNMU’s third time participating.

The 2017 Global Entrepreneurship Week is themed social entrepreneurship, a relatively new but quickly growing field within entrepreneurship.

“While a typical entrepreneur’s ultimate goal is to create economic wealth, a social entrepreneur’s priority is to fulfill an explicit sustainable social mission. Therefore, social entrepreneurs design their revenue-generating strategies and operational activities with an aim to deliver social value,” said Dr. Francisca Reyes, Assistant Professor of Economics in the WNMU School of Business, who is one of the organizers. “Our community can greatly benefit from the work of social entrepreneurs.”

Global Entrepreneurship Week kicks off at noon on Nov. 14 with a hands-on workshop exploring the benefits of social entrepreneurship at The Center for Gender Equity and Social Justice.

Headlining the event is Geoff Groesbeck, Entrepreneurship Professor and former Program Director of the Legatum Center for Development & Entrepreneurship at MIT.

“He brings a lot of experience to the conversation about entrepreneurship. Having a distinguished speaker at WNMU opens many possibilities for collaborations and further discussions related to the issues that affect our community and how we can all learn from other universities to solve problems that permeate our community,” Reyes said.

Groesbeck will present “An Accidental Social Entrepreneur Speaks: The Journey There and Back” on Nov. 15, from 5 to 8 p.m. in Light Hall Auditorium.

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