OTEF joins more than 650 organizations in the United States to educate and inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs

PHOENIX, AZ  (Nov. 11,2010) – This November, young people around the globe will get together to change the world. To celebrate the vital role entrepreneurs play in innovation, job creation and economic recovery, OTEF is participating in Global Entrepreneurship Week on Nov. 16 – 22, 2010 to inspire, connect, mentor and engage young people.

OTEF will hold its major fundraiser, the Fifth Annual Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference, at the Desert Willow Conference Center all day on Nov. 17 as a local kickoff for the week.

Co-founded in 2008 by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation in the United States and Make Your Mark, a business-led government-backed campaign in the United Kingdom, Global Entrepreneurship Week will connect young people through local, national and global activities designed to help them explore their potential as self-starters and innovators. Students, educators, entrepreneurs, business leaders, employees, non-profit leaders, government officials and others will participate in a host of activities that include virtual and face-to-face events, large-scale competitions and intimate networking gatherings.

In 2010, the Week is estimated to exceed the 3 million people and 8,800 organizations around the globe that participated in the inaugural Global Entrepreneurship Week in 2008. Already, more than 650 organizations in more than 80 countries have signed up.

OTEF’s creator, Stealthmode Partners, has been a partner of the Kauffman Foundation since 2003, offering Fasttrac New Venture, Fasttrac Growth Venture, and Fasttrac Tech Venture programs to educate and mentor entrepreneurs throughout Maricopa County.

“The world knows that entrepreneurship is the key to economic recovery, and the next generation of innovators holds that key,” said Carl Schramm, president and CEO of the Kauffman Foundation. “Now more than ever, we need to unleash the creativity and ingenuity of our youth by engaging them in the endless possibilities of entrepreneurship.”

Arizona has a vibrant entrepreneurial community whose bright stars are busy changing the world and growing their companies, bootstrapping, borrowing, begging — as entrepreneurs do in good times and bad. Each year, the Arizona Entrepreneurship Conference highlights local companies and invites some out-of-towners to see what we’re doing.

This year, it will highlight four entrepreneurial growth segments.

Sponsors include:   Phoenix Business Journal, Ernst and Young, Infusionsoft, Osborn Maledon, Mashable, Metro Studios, Snell and Wilmer, Barnes and Noble,  Stealthmode Partners, Gangplank, Kolbe Corp, Pay Your Family First,  and many more local businesses and community organizations.

About OTEF

The Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship Foundation (OTEF) provides training and support to help at-risk youth and adults improve their lives by creating and growing entrepreneurial ventures