Three years ago, today, Barack Obama inducted me as a Presidential Ambassador for Global Entrepreneurship. It took an Executive Order.
Obama’s shout out from stage still gives me goosebumps: https://youtu.be/QKB-y6kJFpM?t=1h38m43s (you can also see Steve Case, Sundar Pichai, Mark Zuckerberg and the cast from HBO Silicon Valley).
Over the following year, they worked with the Ambassadors to develop a “Signature Initiative designed to inspire entrepreneurs and expand networks and global exposure of existing entrepreneurs, or increase deal-flow between investors and entrepreneurs.”
For me, they published:
“Steve Jurvetson is an inventor, startup investor and is considered one of the country’s leading experts in technology forecasting. With his ability to translate how technology will shape and create the businesses of the future, Steve’s Signature Initiative will be to evangelize how new technologies and data such as machine learning, global satellite imagery, and next generation internet capabilities will help entrepreneurs to build their companies, reach new markets and rapidly scale.
He will deliver this initiative through hosting technology discussions and mentoring tech entrepreneurs in the U.S. and abroad. The goal of these engagements is to build stronger ecosystems for entrepreneurs to thrive, which require the involvement of investors, researchers, policy-makers, and economic development practitioners. Steve will also focus on East Africa’s emerging markets and how their increasing connectivity and capital investments in startups can help to develop stronger entrepreneurial communities and economies.”
— https://2014-2017.commerce.gov/page/page-signature-initiatives.html
Good to remind myself of this pledge… and I need to pull together my trip reports to Rwanda and Kenya meeting with the Presidents and evangelizing distributed off-grid solar/lighting/storage solutions for remote farmers, and forming KawiSafi: https://www.fastcompany.com/90336454/this-70-million-fund-aims-to-bring-off-grid-energy-to-africa
Here is the White House press release: https://2014-2017.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2016/06/us-secretary-commerce-penny-pritzker-applauds-announcement-four-new.html
and Obama’s executive order: https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/06/24/executive-order-global-entrepreneurship
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