Lexington again is celebrating Global Entrepreneurship Week, from Nov. 14-20, with a host of events scheduled to recognize the strength of the local entrepreneurial community and empower those who are launching or considering their own entrepreneurial endeavors.
Coordination of the weeklong schedule of activities is a group effort of Commerce Lexington, the City of Lexington and the University of Kentucky, working together through the Bluegrass Business Development Partnership (BBDP).
"The goals of Global Entrepreneurship Week Lexington festivities are to raise awareness of the Lexington entrepreneurial community, to celebrate the successes of Lexington entrepreneurs, and to provide education and networking opportunities for members of the community and those that support them,” said Eric Hartman, director of the Lexington office of the Kentucky Innovation Network, a partnering organization for the week’s events.
Most of the local Global Entrepreneurship Week events are free, and all are open to the public. The sessions scheduled for the week include:
- “A New Roadmap: University of Kentucky IP, Technology Commercialization and Entrepreneurship,” featuring presentations by Ian McClure and Katherine Adams and an open mic pitch competition for UK researchers, to be held at the UK Gatton Building, Woodward Hall, on Tuesday, Nov. 15, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon.
- “Funding Your High-Tech Startup,” featuring panelists to discuss SBIR/STTR grant programs and investing for high-tech startup companies, to be held at the UK Gatton Building, Woodward Hall, from noon to 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 15.
- “Beer & BMC,” a business model canvas presentation by Christine Wildes of the Kentucky Innovation Network, to be held at Commerce Lexington (330 E. Main St.) on Tuesday, Nov. 15, from 5 to 7 p.m.
- “Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony,” will honor top Commonwealth business leaders, to be held at Hilton Lexington Downtown (369 W. Vine St.) on Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m.
- “Real Artists Ship,” a session on prototyping and transitioning from prototype to market-ready product, to be held at Commerce Lexington (330 E. Main St.) on Wednesday, Nov. 16, from 8:30 to 11 a.m.
- “Getting Your Food Product to Market,” a conversation with local food entrepreneurs, to be held at Commerce Lexington (330 E. Main St.) on Wednesday, Nov. 16, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
- “Understanding Your Business Opportunity,” a session on leveraging customer discovery and pro forma financial models to drive business development, to be held at Creative Lodging Solutions (3199 Beaumont Centre Circle) on Thursday, Nov. 17, from 9 to 11 a.m.
- “How to Write a Business Plan,” a lunch-and-learn session with Alex Genadinik, author of Business Planning Made Simple, to be held at the UK College of Law on Thursday, Nov. 17, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- The SPARK Celebration, an annual awards ceremony and release of survey results on local entrepreneurial activity for the year, will be held at Copper Roux (861 S. Broadway) on Thursday, Nov. 17, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
- “Let’s Talk Small Biz - Accounting,” a discussion on accounting basics for entrepreneurs and small business owners with CPA Jim Mike Williams, to be held at Rumi’s Cafe (125 Codell Drive) on Friday, Nov. 18, from 2 to 5 p.m.
- “Mobile App Marketing and Monetization,” an open coffee with author Alex Genadinik, to be held at the Liberty Road Cafe (720 Henry Clay Blvd.) on Friday, Nov. 18, from 10 to 11:30 a.m.
- “Stand Up for your Startup,” and entrepreneurs pitch contest with cash awards, to be held at Commerce Lexington (330 E. Main St.) on Friday, Nov. 18, from 2 to 5 p.m.
- Startup Weekend LEX, a 54-hour frenzy of business model creation, coding, design and market validation, to be held at Awesome Inc. (348 E. Main St.) from Friday, Nov. 18 through Sunday, Nov. 20.
To sign up for one or more Global Entrepreneurship Week events, check out the event registration website at gewlex.eventbrite.com.