Washington, D.C. – Today at 1776 in Washington, DC, the Global Innovation Forum participated in the first Startup Global pilot event held by the U.S. Department of Commerce to help young and emerging companies access international markets.
“We congratulate Secretary Pritzker and the International Trade Administration on the launch of Startup Global and were excited to play a role in today’s discussion,” said Jake Colvin, Executive Director of the Global Innovation Forum. “Startup Global is an innovative effort by the Commerce Department to reach an underserved community of innovators who are increasingly global from day one.”
The Startup Global forum gathered officials from across the U.S. Government – including senior international trade specialists, and officials from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and U.S. Small Business Administration — with entrepreneurs, corporations and experts to discuss a range of topics from federal resources to go global to protecting intellectual property and navigating international partnerships and regulations.
Entrepreneurs from the 1776 startup community – including founders of Ridescout (recently acquired by Daimler), Rebel Desk and Wireless Registry – also discussed their experiences evaluating and breaking into international markets. The discussions also featured representatives from corporations including eBay and General Electric, which the Global Innovation Forum helped convene.
This Startup Global pilot builds on the Global Innovation Forum’s prior cooperation with the Commerce Department via a Startup Global Design Workshop held on May 2, 2014. That discussion was hosted by the White House Business Council and featured representatives from the Global Innovation Forum, 1776, Business Forward and Intuit — whose Chief Innovation Officer chairs the Global Innovation Forum.
“We look forward to continuing to engage with the Commerce Department to support efforts to enable entrepreneurs to access global markets and understand the resources that the U.S. Government can provide,” said Colvin.
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About the Global Innovation Forum
The Global Innovation Forum (GIF) connects business, startup, university and development communities to explore the opportunities and challenges of engaging in the international marketplace. Through public forums, private workshops and online platforms, GIF elevates the global opportunity that exists, explores challenges to participating effectively in international markets, and fosters a better understanding of the policy foundations that underpin the ability of innovators to engage globally in the digital age. GIF is a project of the National Foreign Trade Council Foundation.