And we're back…the last set of panel sessions have commenced and I have choosen to join attendees at the Tapping and Creating Global Opportunity Panel. The panelists are sharing their experiences working to tap and create opportunities around the world. With a flattening world, people are forced to be more agile and find opportunities on which to capitalize…wherever they are. These women panelists are passionate about how entrepreneurship advances economic development and enriches life for local women, as well as entrepreneurial activity that leverages international cultures and markets for business success.

 

Moderating the panel is Elizabeth Thornton, President and CEO, Entrepreneurs Advantage and Adjunct Professor, Babson College. She kicked off the discussion with some impressive stats:

 

1. More than 1/3 of all people involved in entrepreneurial activity are women (source: the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor)

 

2. There are 9.1 million women-owned American businesses, employing more than 27.5 million people and contributing nearly $4 trillion in sales annually to the economy (source: SBA Office of Advocacy).

 

Wow.

 

A theme that has become apparant throughout the day is that 'you can do good while doing well'. One of the panelists, Kellie Kreiser, Director, Project Artemis, The Garvin School of International Management, Thunderbird University, shared a video during this session depicting the women-led entrepreneurial activity in Afghanistan. Project Artemis selects and pays for women entrepreneurs from Afghanistan to go to Thunderbird to learn about the entrepreneurial process, in part through a mentorship with successful US women entrepreneurs. The Afghan women are actively advancing their country's economic development to regain their personal freedom.

 

It is amazing how the entrepreneurial process can result in greater social mobility…for everyone. Let's hope this creates a snowball effect. As their economy grows, their communities will be able to build and renew themselves. They're truly creating the foundation for the future.