WASHINGTON, DC – Today, at a roundtable with entrepreneurs, corporations and policymakers, the Global Innovation Forum released a new report, “The New Faces of Transpacific Trade,” profiling 23 globally-engaged startups and small businesses across twelve countries – Australia, the Nation of Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam.
The profiles feature a broad range of startups – from a fashion designer in Brunei to an American innovator who is taking on the global problem of food waste – to underscore the opportunities for startups and small businesses to be global from day one.
The Global Innovation Forum released the new report in Washington, DC during a discussion and breakfast hosted by UPS.
“As a service provider to thousands of small businesses around the world, we are honored to help innovative enterprises reach new markets and help deliver on their commitment to their customers,” said Laura Lane, President of Global Public Affairs for UPS. “We believe trade policy tools like the TPP will help advance the global growth of startups and small businesses by removing barriers and simplifying procedures, and we’re pleased to be helping highlight the role of these entrepreneurs in the global economy.”
The event featured remarks by Kavita Shukla, founder and CEO of the FRESHGLOW Co., Leslie Griffin, Senior Vice President, International Public Policy at UPS and Jake Colvin, Executive Director of the Global Innovation Forum.
“Technology has democratized access to the global marketplace, which is strengthening local businesses and communities,” said Colvin of the Global Innovation Forum. “The experiences of these entrepreneurs suggest that international markets present an important opportunity and provide a refreshing counterpoint to a political dialogue that suggests global markets are somehow a threat.”
In the report, innovators identify and suggest how to address policy issues that impact their ability to do business, including managing obstacles at the border, complying with foreign regulations, accessing financing, and developing local partnership and distribution networks.
“Technology has made it easier than ever for small businesses to build an international brand and find new customers globally. But governments play an important role as well. Through policy, they can either inhibit or facilitate the effective participation of startups and small businesses in the global marketplace,” the report concludes.
The report is available to download at http://globalinnovationforum.com/reports/the-new-faces-of-transpacific-trade/
Contact: Kaveri Marathe, Deputy Director, Global Innovation Forum, Tel: (202) 464-2035, kaveri@globalinnovationforum.com
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About the Global Innovation Forum
The Global Innovation Forum is a nonprofit startup that connects entrepreneur, small business, development, and university communities with policymakers and select corporations to explore the opportunities and challenges of engaging in the global marketplace. GIF serves as a hub for startup, university and development communities around the world to communicate with officials and corporations, discover public and private resources to help them succeed, and improve the public policy landscape to enable global innovation. GIF is a project of the 501(c)(3) National Foreign Trade Council Foundation.