Even in today's tough economic times, entrepreneurs can spur economic growth. In recent years, entrepreneurship seems to have been dominated by technology.

Recent success stories in Hawaii have shown that geographical barriers can be overcome. As a result, the push to go even further on the world stage has begun.

It is toward this goal that Hawaii Pacific University and the state's High Technology Development Corp. are bringing Global Entrepreneurship Week to Hawaii, Nov. 17-23.

Global Entrepreneurship Week is supposed to be “;a celebration of innovation, entrepre-neurship and creativity.”; Its purpose is to bring together millions of young folks across the globe and encourage them to think entrepreneurially and innovatively.

The event was initiated in in 2004 in the United Kingdom by Gordon Brown, the current prime minister, who was chancellor of the exchequer at the time. During the week, a variety of activities will take place worldwide, including workshops on aspects of successful entrepreneurialism, such as business plans and elevator pitches, competitions and presentations. All of these events are intended to cultivate, educate, inspire, connect and encourage the next generation of entrepreneurs across the globe.

Certainly, the activities in Hawaii will be tailored to our local community. An impressive lineup of local representatives from industry, investors, universities and colleges are scheduled to participate.

For example, a networking session with “;gazelles”;—high-impact and fast-growing firms—will allow attendees to meet with these companies to exchange ideas and experiences, among other things. These companies represent a wide range of industries, including Web 2.0, clean-tech, medical devices and biotechnology. Presentations on innovation and entrepreneurialism will be conducted by IBM and Oceanit.

Another interesting event for budding entrepreneurs will be the Hawaii Entrepreneur Investor Pitch Competition, organized by HTDC, HiBEAM, and Enterprise Honolulu, featuring participants who will go through a series of coaching sessions with experts to deliver their elevator pitches to a panel of venture capitalists and other investors. Finalists from three pitch categories will then be selected to make their final presentations to the judging panel. The winners will be awarded cash prizes.

The regional director of Global Entrepreneurship Week in Hawaii is Bee-Leng Chua. Chua's “;day job”; is the executive director of HPU's Entrepreneurship Center. She can be reached at 687-7068, or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Check out www.gewhawaii.org for more information.