Morocco to Host 2014 Global Entrepreneurship Summit

Office of the Secretary
Department of Commerce
Washington, DC
Monday, October 27, 2014

U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and PAGE Ambassadors to Attend Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Morocco

WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker will attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES), which will take place November 19-21 in Marrakech, Morocco to demonstrate the U.S. government’s continued commitment to fostering entrepreneurship around the world. On November 19, her activities will focus specifically on Women’s Entrepreneurship Day. This year’s summit marks the fifth annual gathering of entrepreneurs at all stages of business development, business leaders, mentors, and high-level government officials.

“As the Administration’s point person on entrepreneurship, I am very pleased to be attending the Global Entrepreneurship Summit for the second year in a row. This year’s GES represents an opportunity to build on the energy of dynamic entrepreneurs from around the world, and to leverage their talent and spirit to deepen ties between governments, businesses, foundations, universities, and innovators,” said Secretary Pritzker. “Let’s use this Summit as a call to action—for entrepreneurs, ecosystem builders, and policy-makers to forge sustainable networks, share best practices, create pro-innovation policies and demonstrate the power of entrepreneurship to grow local, regional, and global economies.”

Entrepreneurship is key to unlocking economic growth and creating jobs, and the U.S. government leads numerous programs and initiatives to improve enabling environments and to make tools and networks available to individual entrepreneurs. At last year’s GES in Malaysia, President Obama asked Secretary Pritzker to chair the Presidential Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship (PAGE) initiative, and she was happy to assume her role as the Administration’s point person on entrepreneurship. In April, Secretary Pritzker chaired the first PAGE meeting, bringing together a group of America’s most inspiring innovators to serve as ambassadors for global entrepreneurship.

Six months later, Secretary Pritzker has arranged PAGE-related events on four continents since the program’s launch, and the PAGE initiative continues to gain momentum, with PAGE members actively engaged in promoting innovation here at home and abroad. The following PAGE members will join Secretary Pritzker in Morocco to serve as entrepreneurship ambassadors and to share their knowledge and experience to help develop the next generation of entrepreneurs around the world:

• Daphne Koller, Co-Founder and President, Coursera
• Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO, Chobani
• Alexa von Tobel, Founder and CEO, LearnVest

“We at Coursera see education as an incredibly powerful tool, capable of inspiring creativity and resourcefulness, building human capital and equipping people to take on today’s and tomorrow’s issues,” said Daphne Koller, co-founder and president of Coursera. “I’m delighted to join others in advancing skills and support to encourage entrepreneurship.”

“Entrepreneurship is a powerful force for creating value and doing good in our world,” said Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of Chobani. “I’m honored and excited to represent the United States as a member of PAGE at a summit dedicated to encouraging entrepreneurs worldwide to pursue their passions.”

“I am honored to represent the United States as a member of PAGE at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit,” said Alexa von Tobel, founder and CEO of LearnVest. “I firmly believe in the power of technology to drive innovation on a global scale, and I know this is an incredible opportunity to both share what we have built at LearnVest and to learn from the wealth of knowledge at the Summit.”

The theme of the Summit, “Harnessing the Power of Technology for Innovation and Entrepreneurship,” highlights the impact of technology on modern entrepreneurship. The Summit will also be a space for entrepreneurs to network one-on-one with each other and with established businesses, and will provide a chance to hear from those who have traveled the path before them.