Entrepreneurs from Around the World Inspired by Visit to U.S.

Washington, DC, USA (4 November 2011) – As part of the U.S. Department of State’s “A New Beginning: Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation” program, leading entrepreneurs from around the world visited the U.S. for a three-week program of educational experiences, business mentoring and long-term relationship-building. In partnership with the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, this groundbreaking program provides prominent entrepreneurs from around the world with opportunities to expand their networks and skills as both businesspeople and as leaders in their home countries’ entrepreneurial communities.
Having recently concluded, the program not only provided resources to help the participants grow their businesses, but inspired them to return to their home countries inspired to play a role in helping their communities thrive.
 
“This amazing journey gave me so many first-hand experiences seeing how entrepreneurs and innovation can change a community and bring about prosperity,” said Hussen Ahmed, Managing Director of Farm Organic International, a business based in Ethiopia. “There is a responsibility that comes along with being an entrepreneur, and that is the role we play in the development of our communities. This program has motivated and inspired me to bring what I learned home with me to help foster other entrepreneurs and to help my community. ”
 
During their time in the U.S., the participants spent time with leading American entrepreneurs, business executives and government officials to hone their entrepreneurial endeavors and skills. They traveled to Washington, DC; Phoenix, AZ; San Francisco, CA; and New York, NY as part of their experience. While they were able to visit a wide variety of successful businesses and to hear about strategies related to running successful companies, it was the peer-to-peer relationships that most inspired them.
 
“Before coming here, I was expecting to participate in a more traditional academic environment,” said Barakatullah Rahmati, CEO of Afghan Red Gold Saffron Company. “However, I was so glad to interact with so many successful entrepreneurs in a peer-to-peer environment. I learned so much from the people I met because they each had a unique perspective to offer. Seeing so many leading entrepreneurs working on changing the world was inspiring. ”
 
A New Beginning is a response to President Barack Obama’s June 2009 pledge in Cairo and at the 2010 Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship to expand exchange programs and opportunities in entrepreneurship.
 
“This has been such an amazing experience not only for the participants visiting the U.S., but also for the members of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization who were able to meet with them,” said Adrienne Cornelsen, the Entrepreneurs’ Organization’s ‘A New Beginning’ Program Chair. “The peer-to-peer learning environment enabled everyone involved to gain insights from new perspectives, and we are all better business owners as a result. Our mission at the Entrepreneurs’ Organization’s mission is to help leading entrepreneurs learn and grow, and I know that the amazing business owners who took this journey are going back home inspired and motivated. ”
 
About the Entrepreneurs’ OrganizationThe Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) – for entrepreneurs only – is a dynamic global network of more than 8,000 business owners in 40 countries. Founded in 1987 by a group of young entrepreneurs, EO is the catalyst that enables entrepreneurs to learn and grow from each other, leading to greater business success and an enriched personal life. Membership in one of EO’s 120 chapters is by invitation only; the average member is 41 years old with annual revenues of US$17.3 million. For more information on EO, visit www.eonetwork.org or call +1.703.519.6700.

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Ryan Meyer

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Entrepreneurs’ Organization

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