14 Years of MIT GSW - 1998 to 2011

The MIT Global Startup Workshop (MIT GSW) was founded in 1997 when the MIT $50K (now $100K) Entrepreneurship Competition received numerous queries from around the world from organizations interested in starting and improving their own business plan competitions (BPCs). The first MIT GSW was held in Cambridge, Massachusetts in March 1998 and brought together an international community committed to launching BPCs to stimulate and nurture entrepreneurship worldwide.

A decade later, having helped grow and mature the BPC community, in 2007 the MIT GSW expanded its mission to include all aspects of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Today we continue to build stronger, more productive entrepreneurial ecosystems around the world and a diverse and dynamic global support network for entrepreneurs.

The MIT GSW has been held on six continents (except Antarctica!), reached participants from over 70 nations, and grown to become the premier workshop for fostering global entrepreneurship. Our participants have founded BPCs, entrepreneurial support organizations, educational programs, and new startups, while gaining invaluable contacts and forging lasting relationships.