National Entrepreneurship Week is a congressionally chartered, annual initiative that takes place the third week of February. A network of stakeholders, including entrepreneurial educators, ecosystem builders, and most importantly – individual entrepreneurs, come together to share resources, learn from each other, and share their support for America’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem.
This year’s program takes place next week, February 12-19, 2022. Recognizing that the United States’ entrepreneurship ecosystem is as rich and diverse as its population, the NatlEshipWeek team provides NatlEshipWeek Daily Themes to help stakeholders across the United States engage in programming representative of this diverse representation.
Check out NatlEshipWeek’s formal 2022 program below to register for their daily themed events. All events are free, virtual, and open to the public. We encourage you to share your support on social media using the hashtag #NatlEshipWeek and downloading our social tools at www.natleshipweek.org/social-tools.
Monday: Entrepreneurship Education Day
- 1PM EST – Eship Edu in Higher Education: Register Here
Join NatlEshipWeek and the United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship for an engaging discussion on the landscape of higher education entrepreneurship edu, best practices, and higher education’s role in the entrepreneurship ecosystem.
- 2PM EST – Eship Edu in Community Colleges: Register Here
Join NatlEshipWeek and the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship as we explore best practices for eship edu, the importance of eship to community college systems, and how community colleges are incubators of innovation in their communities.
- 3PM EST – Eship Edu: K-12 Connections: Register Here
Join NatlEshipWeek and the Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education to explore best practices in K-12 entrepreneurship education and its importance in the K-12 classroom.
- 4PM EST – Eship Edu: Beyond the Formal Classroom: Register Here
Join NatlEshipWeek and a panel of incredible guest speakers as we look at entrepreneurship education programs that exist outside of the traditional classroom. We’ll hear from the educators that teach these programs, and the entrepreneurs that have been taught, in this impactful session.
Tuesday: Entrepreneurship Ecosystems Day | Register Here
- 1PM EST – Building Your Local Entrepreneurship Ecosystem
Hear from practitioners who have real world experience in the everyday work of building entrepreneurial ecosystems. This session will focus on practical steps that entrepreneur serving organizations can take to support efforts at building an engaging and diverse ecosystem.
- 2PM EST- Leveraging National Resources for Entrepreneurship Ecosystems
Support for entrepreneurs has been rising across the country. In this session, we will engage with leads in the movement who have leveraged the strength of national organizations to help build stronger entrepreneurial ecosystems through the country.
- 3PM EST – Policy & Capital: How Do We Make Ecosystems Healthier Through Research & Data?
Join ecosystem builders and researchers to explore three themes: ecosystem challenges, capital flow, and policy. This session will explore challenges in aggregating and disseminating data to help make ecosystems healthier, data and story-telling around capital flow and ecosystem practitioners, and how governments and agencies can better utilize data to support entrepreneurship ecosystems.
Wednesday: Federal Entrepreneurship Day | Register Here
- 9AM, 1:30PM EST – How to Get R&D Money for Your Business from the U.S. Federal Government
The U.S. government provides millions of dollars annually to stimulate innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialization in small businesses through the program known as the America’s Seed Fund. Known as the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, these programs enable small businesses to explore their technological potential and provide the incentive to profit from its commercialization.
- 10AM EST- How the U.S. Government Fosters Entrepreneurship Education
Explore federally available education resources and programs that promote lifelong learning in entrepreneurship. This illuminating panel will highlight priorities in building an entrepreneurial pipeline and global competitiveness in K-12, community colleges, and higher education as well as educational resources for adult learners seeking to change careers.
- 11AM EST – How to Get Started: A Roadmap to Federal Resources for Every Entrepreneur
This dynamic panel will shine a spotlight on the resources and programs available to various types of entrepreneurs from across federal government agencies. Participants will hear from program managers about tools, tips, and tricks on how to leverage existing government resources to take their business to the next level.
- 12PM, 2:30PM EST – The Power of Partnership: Engaging Entrepreneurial Ecosystems
From non-profits to entrepreneurial incubators, there is a robust national and local network of partners available to support entrepreneurial development. Join us for a conversation on how federal agencies work with state and local ecosystem developers and governments to help drive entrepreneurship in communities across the country.
SEPARATE REGISTRATION LINK: Register Here
- 6PM EST – Future of Entrepreneurship in Virtual Reality and the Metaverse
Join NatlEshipWeek, The Aspen Institute Socrates Program, and the United States Small Business Administration for an informative panel on emergent technologies influence on entrepreneurship. Held in Altspace VR, this event is limited to 40 participants.
Thursday: Everyday Entrepreneur Speaker Series | Register Here
Join NatlEshipWeek for a series of interviews from 12:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. EST. Featuring quick, 15-minute interviews, the goal is to uplift the diverse stories of entrepreneurs across the country.
- 12:00 PM Norm Lewis, Broadway Actor & Musician
- 12:30 PM Kyira Harris, CEO of Keys to Abundant Life, Inc.
- 1:00 PM Denise Michaelsan International Book Writing Guild
- 1:30 PM Joni Alexander, Founder, Inoj Skincare
- 2:00 PM Chef Eric Hott, EH Chocolates and More
- 2:15 PM Rose Sharp, House of Sharp
- 2:30 PM Shayai Lucero, Owner, Earth and Sky Floral Designs
- 3:00 PM Brandon Crumpton, Owner, Key Signature Entertainment
- 3:30 PM Nick Koger, Co-Founder & CEO, BeCardless
- 4:00 PM Randall Scott, Owner, Dreamland Investment Properties
- 4:30 PM Student Entrepreneur
- 5:00 PM Sue Weber, Former Secretary for Mother Theresa
- 5:30 PM Kara Goldin, Founder of Hint, Inc.
Friday: Funding & Finance Friday | Register Here
- 12:00 PM EST – How to Get R&D Money for Your Business from the U.S. Federal Government
The US government has an array of financial programs to support entrepreneurs and small businesses. Join representatives from the Small Business Administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the US Treasury as they kick off Funding Friday this dynamic panel will detail an array of programs and resources to launch and grow a business by leveraging government resources.
- 1:00 PM EST – Bootstrapping: Your Money, Your Business
Whether you have little money or plan to use your own money, many entrepreneurs have used bootstrapping as a means for building a business. This panel explores how to grow a business with limited funding.
- 2:00 PM EST – Other People’s Money: Banking, Fintech, and Investors
Growing a business often requires obtaining outside capital which can range from borrowing to getting investors. This dynamic panel brings together traditional banking institutions, emerging financial technologies, and investors, coupled with entrepreneurs, who have accessed outside funding to grow a business. This interactive panel will explore timeless and timely ways of obtaining funding to start your business.
