Frequently Asked Questions
We are in the final stages of reviewing applications and notifying delegates for the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship. We will update this site with further information as we finalize the details for the Summit.
Below you will find some of the most frequently asked questions and answers about the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship. If you have any questions that are not addressed in the FAQ, please click here.
What is a Delegate?
A delegate is someone who is nominated and selected to attend the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship in Washington, DC. Approximately 150 delegates from around the world will represent their home countries, regions, sectors, and communities.
What is the purpose of the President's Summit on Entrepreneurship?
The Summit will be one step in an ongoing process by which the U.S. government partners with, convenes, and catalyzes private sector, government, non-profit, foundation, academic, and civil society representatives to foster entrepreneurship in Muslim majority countries and Muslim communities around the world.
Through this Summit and subsequent efforts, we seek to identify and remove barriers to entrepreneurship, while building the inftrastructure needed to continue to grow and sustain successful programs and initiatives in Muslim communities around the world.
What are desired outcomes from the Summit?
Through this Summit, the United States seeks both to join existing efforts and inspire new efforts to promote entrepreneurship and innovation in Muslim majority countries and Muslim communities across the world.
As part of this process, a primary objective is for delegates to use the Summit to highlight personal, national, and regional goals, and then use the subsequent process to drive towards obtaining these goals.
Other potential outcomes include:
- New and strengthened global networks of business and social entrepreneurs;
- Enhanced partnerships that link capital, business development services, and market access that enable entrepreneurs to build high-growth and high-impact ventures;
- Supporting social entrepreneurs who fill the gaps between government and the private sector;
- Future summits in delegates’ home countries; and
- Recommendations for how Americans can partner with those focused on entrepreneurship in Muslim communities worldwide.
What Topics will be Discussed at the Summit?
Developing an agenda for the Summit will be an ongoing process that includes feedback and discussion with key stakeholders from all over the world, as well as the broader public.
Following are some potential topic areas:
- Access to capital
- High-growth and innovation-driven entrepreneurship
- Science and technology-based entrepreneurship
- Linking networks of entrepreneurs
- Public policies that encourage entrepreneurship and innovation
- Role of philanthropic/other entrepreneurial support organizations
- Support for female entrepreneurs
- Islamic finance
- Social entrepreneurship
- Entrepreneurship education
- Youth entrepreneurship
- Support for cross-border business relationships within diaspora
When is the Summit?
The President’s Summit will be held in Washington, DC later this spring. Additional details will be posted closer to the date of the actual event. We anticipate delegates will create opportunities to convene subsequent follow-on summits in the months and years to come.
What if I Have Not Received an Invitation by Now?
The response to the Summit has been outstanding, and we received many more nominations for delegates than we could accommodate. However, we ask that the global community of entrepreneurs keep the spirit of the Summit alive by continuing to contribute to the discussion of how we can create global economic opportunities through the promotion of entrepreneurship.
How Can I Still Participate in the Summit if I Am Not Able to Attend in Person?
For those not attending the Summit, details will be provided closer to the Summit dates on ways to view parts of the Summit via webcast. We also encourage you to look for opportunities to engage in post-Summit follow up activities as they arise.
How Can I Learn More About Partnership Opportunities?
Summit partnerships are being coordinated by the State Department's Office of Global Partnerships. A full list of partnerships will be posted along with other Summit outcomes after its conclusion. If you are interested in establishing additional partnerships, please send your ideas to entrepreneurship@doc.gov.