Company Updates

Dell Celebrates Global Entrepreneurship Week

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As a cornerstone to its celebration of the entrepreneur, Dell is offering entrepreneurs a chance to pitch their business to Dell executives.

Even as a $60 billion dollar technology solution provider, Dell has not forgotten its roots. Our founder Michael Dell began this company in his dorm room and today still leads the firm and knows what it’s like to get a company off the ground.

It may seem like a cliché, but it’s true that small businesses are the lifeblood of a healthy economy. In the U.S. alone, small businesses employ half of all private sector employees, pay 44 percent of total U.S. private payroll and since the latest recession, accounted for 67 percent of the net new jobs, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

In addition to job creation, small businesses drive a sustainable economy through innovation and producing 13 times more patents per employee than large patenting firms (SBA).

At Dell, we understand the challenges and opportunities that small businesses face because over our 28-year history we’ve been a small business, worked with small businesses to grow into bigger businesses and acquired a number of small businesses with inspirational ideas. That’s why we gladly participate in the annual Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) to help celebrate and support startups.

Launched in 2008 by then-UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, GEW takes place one week each November and is designed to inspire people everywhere through local, national and global activities to explore their potential as self-starters and innovators. In just four years, more than 130 countries are now participating, with 25,000 partners holding activities during that time and up to 10 million participants.

This week. Dell announced Tech Innovation Day, a first-of-its kind opportunity for small firms that are already up and running to meet and pitch their firm to senior-level Dell executives, who can provide the start-ups with valuable feedback and advice. In collaboration with Founders Institute and ATI among other incubators and accelerators, Dell will invite a select group of start-ups to participate in this day-long event at Dell Corporate Headquarters in Round Rock, Texas. If you are interested in applying for consideration, click here.

Dell will also be partnering on a number of events in the UK for GEW:

  • On November 15, Think Thursday, a global brainstorm, will attempt to set a world record in collective thinking and cross-cultural collaboration.  Leading innovators and experienced entrepreneurs will lend their knowledge and expertise as they meet live and online to brainstorm about how best to build your business. To learn more or purchase tickets, click here.
  • On November 16, The Pitch, Britain’s biggest business pitching contest, will give entrepreneurs the opportunity to pitch their ideas to a panel of expert for a £50,000 prize package.  For more information, click here.
  • And make sure to check out the Startup Britain Student Bus Tour as it makes its way through 40 colleges and universities around the UK.  The customized bus – complete with Dell laptops, Wi-Fi, comfy sofas and areas for 1:1 discussions – provides a unique and inviting environment for current and aspiring entrepreneurs to learn about everything from business plan development and obtaining finance to regulation, company registration and marketing. The bus will be touring through December – for more information on the tour schedule, click here.

Beyond activities in the US and UK, Dell also announced today the fourth annual Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network (DWEN) event in Istanbul, Turkey, June 2 – June 4, 2013. Turkey was chosen because of its ideal location between Europe, the Middle East and Central Asia.  Recent regulatory and taxation changes in Turkey combined with strong economic growth have led to a culture of innovation and support for entrepreneurs and small businesses resulting in an economic growth rate of nearly nine percent in 2011. [1]

Check out the press release for more details on this year’s Network.

For more on GEW events, follow @unleashingideas on Twitter or visit the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/unleashingideas. For focus on what is happening in the U.S., follow @gewusa or visit http://www.facebook.com/gewusa. The hashtag for all is #GEW.

[1] Source: IMF World Economic Outlook April 2012, Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) http://www.invest.gov.tr/en-us/turkey/factsandfigures/pages/economy.aspx

JJ Davis

About the Author: Jennifer "JJ" Davis

A seasoned leader with 20+ years of experience, JJ Davis oversees all aspects of Global Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility for Dell Technologies. In this role, she works closely with the Investor Relations and Government Affairs organizations to lead the corporate affairs strategy and foster alignment and advocacy across the diverse stakeholder landscape for the company. Her global team includes media relations, analyst relations, executive communications, team member communications, sales and partner communications, influencer relations, social media, direct giving and sustainability. She also founded the company’s marquee women’s program the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network in 2010 to support women entrepreneurs’ success worldwide. JJ started her public relations and public affairs career at the Arkansas Office of the Governor and has held various communications leadership roles for both corporations and agencies nationwide. A graduate of the University of Arkansas, JJ lives in Austin with her husband David, a third-generation entrepreneur, and three sons. She is active in her boys’ sports and the family foundation, The Aimee Melissa Davis Memorial Scholarship, supporting graduating seniors with Juvenile Diabetes. She is a member of the Arthur W. Page Society and a board member of the Dell Technologies Political Action Committee.