Global Government, Education, Media, Foundation and Corporate Leaders to Headline the Future of Entrepreneurship Education Summit

WASHINGTON, Nov. 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Empact and Opportunity International today announced a partnership, which will kick-off at the Future of Entrepreneurship Education Summit in Washington, D.C. from November 17-19, 2011 at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Capitol Hill and the White House. The Summit is a featured event of Global Entrepreneurship Week and will convene many of the nation's leading entrepreneurship leaders representing all sectors of the entrepreneurship ecosystem including government, education, foundation, corporation, media, social and nonprofit sectors.

Opportunity International, a nonprofit organization that provides financial tools and training for people living in poverty, is the title sponsor of Empact's Entrepreneurship Summit. Opportunity serves micro entrepreneurs in the developing world who, with small loans, access to savings, insurance, and training, work their way out of poverty and create change in their world.  

"Opportunity International is pleased to join with Empact to support and elevate the entrepreneurial ecosystem in combating some of the world's most challenging problems today, including joblessness and poverty," said Jon Yasuda, SVP of Resource Development and Interim CEO.  "This Summit will inspire leaders across professional sectors in the United States to partner with global entrepreneurs who seek to transform their lives, and their communities, through the creation and expansion of small businesses."

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Campaign for Free Enterprise, "20 million jobs need to be created in this decade to replace the jobs lost in the current recession and to meet the needs of America's growing workforce." Furthermore, The Kauffman Foundation reports that all net new jobs in the economy are created by young firms. The Summit seeks to further this trend by helping grow the impact of the overall entrepreneurship ecosystem in order to spur investments in job creation both nationally and internationally to bring the global economy to full employment status.  

The Summit will provide the opportunity for delegates to create an 'entrepreneurship economic stimulus plan' based on a compilation of all the presentations and discussions from the Summit, which will focus on answering one simple question, "How can the entrepreneurship ecosystem help return the economy back to full employment?" Also sponsored by The Kauffman Foundation, the Coleman Foundation, the Appalachian Regional Commission and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Campaign for Free Enterprise, the Summit will help solve the most pressing issues facing the entrepreneurship ecosystem and build necessary connections so that entrepreneurship becomes and remains a viable career path for young workers in the challenging 21st century economy.

"As we work to emerge from this historic recession, we must pave the way for workers to enter the workforce as entrepreneurs.  By investing in the next wave of entrepreneurs, we can start to rebuild the global economy through the creation of good jobs that will spell a brighter future for workers here in the United States, and abroad," said Michael Simmons, CEO and Co-founder of Empact.

The unconventional Summit will provide three days of activities that will address a range of themes through keynotes, interactive concurrent roundtable sessions and panels, including scheduled activities such as:

• Announcement and Celebration of the Empact100 List of Top Young Entrepreneur Winners at the White House
• Entrepreneurship Education Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill with Members of Congress and Senate including Senator Mary Landrieu (Chair, Senate Small Business Committee), Congressman Cedric Richmond, Congressman Michael Pompeo, Congressman Pete Sessions and Congressman Allen West.
• Keynotes focusing on presenters' grand ideas on how the entrepreneurship ecosystem can return the economy to full employment
• Collaborative breakout sessions where delegates help refine the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Stimulus Plan.

Each delegate has been handpicked for his or her world-class expertise in a particular area of the entrepreneurship ecosystem. 

By the end of the Summit, the top ideas will be showcased on the Summit website and the world will be invited to contribute and turn them into a reality.  

Featured Summit speakers include (visit the website to see other featured presenters):

• Ted Leonsis Founder, Chairman & CEO, Monumental Sports & Entertainment & Former President, AOL;
• Desh Deshpande Sycamore Networks & A123 Systems;
• Naveen Jain Founder of Moon Express, Intelius and InfoSpace and on Forbes 400 List;
• Jeff Sandefer, Founder, Acton Foundation, Sandefer Capital Partners, & Sandefer Offshore;
• John Katzman, Founder, Princeton Review & Founder, 2Tor;
• Jeff Hoffman, Co-founder, Priceline.com;
• Tom Adams, CEO, Rosetta Stone

Other conference sponsors include The University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School, 2tor Inc., the Hughes Foundation, USASBE, NACCE, Think Impact and Little Green Money Machine.

About Opportunity International

Opportunity International provides small business loans, savings, insurance and training to over three million people working their way out of poverty in the developing world. Clients in over 20 countries use these financial services to start or expand a business, provide for their families, create jobs for their neighbors and build a safety net for the future.

Through its community banking network and innovations like mobile banking and biometric fingerprint technology, Opportunity banks on the spirit of people and on their hopes and dreams, and stands alongside its clients as equal partners in the fight against poverty. For more information, visit www.opportunity.org or join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.

About Empact

Formally known as Extreme Entrepreneurship Education, Empact has worked with over 400 colleges & universities, workforce development organizations, Chambers of Commerce, and Small Business Development Centers to help promote entrepreneurship among aspiring entrepreneurs. Empact aims to alleviate mental and financial poverty by empowering individuals to live with passion, purpose, and prosperity through the entrepreneurial mindset.

Learn more at http://www.iempact.com.

About U.S. Chamber of Commerce

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.

Learn more at http://www.uschamber.com.

About The Kauffman Foundation

The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation is the largest foundation in the world promoting entrepreneurship. It is a private nonpartisan foundation that works to harness the power of entrepreneurship and innovation to grow economies and improve human welfare. Through its research and other initiatives, the Kauffman Foundation aims to open young people's eyes to the possibility of entrepreneurship, promote entrepreneurship education, raise awareness of entrepreneurship-friendly policies, and find alternative pathways for the commercialization of new knowledge and technologies. 

SOURCE Opportunity International