High-Impact Entrepreneurship

In a recent article on Executive Magazine, entitled “A new American intervention,” Annelle Sheline covered the shifts in American foreign policy to a softer, more pro-business approach to fostering democracy in the Middle East. As Secretary of State Hilary Clinton asserts, “a strong economic foundation and a stable middle-class” are key components in fostering democracy in the Middle East.

Annelle points out that while it is not known yet just how effective the State Department will be in its efforts, she trumpets the existence of Endeavor as an active and independent organization in the region that has given entrepreneurs access to mentors and angel investors in Morocco, Turkey and Egypt in recent years. Especially important is the framework that Endeavor uses in the Middle East, a framework that Elmira Bayrasli, policy and outreach coordinator for Endeavor Global, says is “driven by finding local business leaders and local networks that will then define how [they build] their own framework.”