Creating global networks allows entrepreneurs, innovators and changemakers to access resources and human capital with less hardship and more accessibility than without. Jonathan Ortmans recognized a need for a centralized, robust platform where entrepreneurs can engage with their like-minded counterparts. “What we’re trying to do with this global community is to sharpen the focus: how do we help companies scale, start smarter, or scale in the first place… we turn around & say how do we do that in a much more precise way.” Jonathan is the Founder and President of the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN), an organization that provides a platform of programs and initiatives to help new firms start and scale within one global entrepreneurial ecosystem, arching over 170 countries. In consortium with policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and affiliated support organizations around the world, Jonathan has launched the number of initiatives such as Global Entrepreneurship Week, Global Entrepreneurship Congress and the former US president Obama’s Global Entrepreneurship Initiative to engage major influencers in building robust platforms for entrepreneurs to thrive. Under his initiatives, the emerging entrepreneurs around the world have received more than one billion dollars in investments so far and they are growing. In this week’s #StartupPodcast, host Rivers Corbett talks to Jonathan about the key milestones in going global.

The post The Role of Entrepreneurs in Global Development with Jonathan Ortmans – November 13 first appeared on Startup Canada.