Strengthening Entrepreneurship by Understanding Failure and Catalyzing Ecosystems

Please note that this discussion will take place on Dgroups.

Join Microlinks and the BEAM Exchange on November 17 and 18 for an online discussion. Engage with expert practitioners and researchers on the topic of entrepreneurship. Day one will focus on harnessing failure and day two will be about the ecosystems that support entrepreneurs.

Day 1 (November 17th): Understanding Failure

Failure is an inevitable, and even necessary, part of the entrepreneurial process. Yet there isn’t much space for it in development programming. Discussion around the subject is limited and often revolves around a very basic understanding of success: A project is a success if its beneficiary entrepreneurial ventures are still running at the time of reporting. If not, that means failure for the project and often the end of the road for an entrepreneur. How can we move beyond this paradigm that is so far out of step with entrepreneurial reality? Share your thoughts in the discussion on November 17 and listen to insights from others.

Day 2 (November 18): Looking at the Ecosystem

Next up: Entrepreneurial ecosystems. Which is more effective - direct firm-level support to budding enterprises or focusing on the entrepreneurial ecosystem as a whole? In theory, a systemic approach to supporting enterprises has the possibility of helping many more entrepreneurs at one time, allowing them to experience growth over sustained periods. However, in practice a focus on firm-level support has been used successfully by some projects as well. Join us on November 18 to share your thoughts and engage in a debate on these different approaches to enterprise development.

Register Here.