GEN MAGAZINE | Page 7

GEN IRELAND WELCOME TO GEN IRELAND LINKING, ENGAGING AND CONNECTING IRELAND TO THE GLOBAL ENTREPRENEURIAL ECOSYSTEM The Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) is a year-round platform of programmes and initiatives aimed at creating one global entrepreneurial ecosystem. GEN as one global ecosystem helps more than 10 million people, in 160 countries and through 25,000 partnerships, unleash their ideas and turn them into promising new ventures – creating jobs, accelerating innovation and strengthening economic stability around the world. Traditional business, education and Government leaders have been eager champions, but they need more sophisticated tools, programmes and research to help them direct their attention and funds to areas that have the greatest impact on future economic growth. GEN helps address these needs by identifying effective initiatives that positively impact whole societies, and interventions that target the most critical areas for entrepreneurial ecosystems around the world.  GEN Ireland will take a lead role in advancing Ireland’s national entrepreneurship ecosystem and a culture of entrepreneurship, through measures of engagement, collaboration and shared knowledge.  www.wearegen.co INFE Ireland’s National Foundation For Entrepreneurship Encouraging Creativity - Winners of Ireland’s Creative Compass Competition during Global Entrepreneurship Week, 120 primary schools participated nationwide thanks to national GEW partner, Bizworld. Congratulations to the pupils of Scoil San Carlo Junior, Abel Jacob, Eoin Brady, Thomas Chukwu Eli Cooney, Kayla Corrigan, James Dalen, Diane Dalvang, Tara Daly, Paul Denver Dela Pena, Emma Doonan Keyes, Hannah Dormer, Alex Duffy, Ben Fleming, Sarah Hickey, Ruth Howard, Aoibhe Kelly, Daniel Meehan, Adam O Reilly, Daniel O Sullivan, Theresa O’Donnell, Joseph Ogimwonwi, Lena Preiss, Best Tobi R anging from efforts to inspire and educate nascent entrepreneurs to advancing research and connecting global leaders in person, GEN operates in all types of economies and cultures. GEN Ireland links, engages and connects Ireland to this platform of global networks and resources. GEN connects start-ups, entrepreneurs, policy makers, researchers, academics and Government to thousands of events, networks, activities, competitions, and knowledge-sharing initiatives, which helps to advance research, policy, education, innovation and networks for Ireland. GEN Ireland is an open platform that can link all of the players in Ireland’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, creating one national entrepreneurship ecosystem that engages the world and places Ireland on the global stage. “Over the past fifteen years, I have engaged in Ireland’s entrepreneurship agenda and watched our nation evolve into a country that ranks high globally as a destination for business and is now fast becoming a hub for start-ups,” says Maree Helena, Co-Founder, GEN Ireland. “We are making strides in the right direction. Supporters, researchers, policy makers and enablers of entrepreneurship are coming together to find ways of advancing Ireland as a worldwide environment capable of harnessing and retaining world-class scalable start-ups and making Ireland the number one, ‘go-to start-up destination in the world.’ “The Government’s new National Enterprise Policy, Enterprise 2025, recognises that Ireland needs more startups as the job creators of our future. Remembering our nascent entrepreneurs is the centre of this revolution. As such, we must advance our culture of entrepreneurship and engender the entrepreneurial mindset beyond what we already know. “This means pushing boundaries