Global Entrepreneurship Congress 2022
The Global Entrepreneurship Congress 2022 is an annual international event that brings together investors, entrepreneurs, and experts from around 180 countries to discuss the economic challenges facing the global business environment, exchange knowledge, and showcase investment opportunities.
The 2022 edition of the congress was held at King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on March 27, 2022. It lasted for four days and was organized by the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority (Monsha'at) in collaboration with the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN).
The total value of the investment rounds, agreements, and launches resulting from the congress exceeded SAR51.8 billion.
Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the Global Entrepreneurship Congress 2022
GNE selected Riyadh City to host the Global Entrepreneurship Congress 2022 due to Saudi Arabia’s global ranking in the indicators of “availability of good opportunities to start a business” and “ease of starting a business,” according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM). The congress was held under the theme "Reboot – Rethink – Regenerate," and featured participation from more than 150 speakers, who discussed the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on the entrepreneurship sector and the lessons learned from the global challenges it brought.
Objectives of the Global Entrepreneurship Congress 2022
The aim of the Global Entrepreneurship Congress 2022 was to identify the best practices for crisis management, maintain business continuity and resilience, and encourage the exchange of modern ideas and strategies among innovators and entrepreneurs worldwide. The congress also served as a platform for those interested in the sector to better understand the dynamics of the coming periods.
Participants included Saudi government officials and a number of entrepreneurs from around the world, including a co-founder of Apple and a co-founder of Netflix.
Agreements and launches from the Global Entrepreneurship Congress 2022
The Global Entrepreneurship Congress 2022 resulted in a number of agreements and launches, including: An agreement between Monsha’at and Alrajhi Bank, several investment agreements signed by the Ministry of Investment, along with licenses granted to international companies, in addition to cooperation agreements between the Small and Medium Enterprises Financing Guarantee Program (Kafalah) and the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing (currently the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing), the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, and the Ministry of Sport. Additional agreements were also signed to provide innovative financing programs.
The congress featured events that focused on nurturing innovation and development among human capital and encouraging them to generate ideas in line with the rapid efforts to enhance the entrepreneurship ecosystem.