As preparations are ongoing for the 2016 Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) to be hosted by President Obama June 22-24 at Stanford University, the U.S. Department of State has named partners and steering committee for the more than 700 entrepreneurs from 170 countries around the world, including a large number of social entrepreneurs who will attend the summit

Attendees will participate in three days of interactive discussions and workshops with top Silicon Valley executives and investors from around the world. The State Department is working with selected partners through the SPARK Initiative, a consortium of organizations committed to supporting greater investment in global entrepreneurship.

The Department has assembled a group of partners who can help delegates transform ideas into reality. The partners share President Obama's commitment to entrepreneurship and are committed to supporting the Summit, which is a unique event that can spur innovation across the globe.
Startup communities around the world share common beliefs and concerns, but not all have the same opportunities or resources. Through the support of the State Department and its committed corporate partners, SPARK and the Global Entrepreneurship Summit are providing resources, networks and ideas to help entrepreneurs not only start, but scale as well.
GES Partners are contributing to the overall experience of the Summit including the creation of networking lounges, a "portals to" project to connect entrepreneurs around the world, opening and closing receptions to solidify investor and entrepreneur relationships, a Global Launch Lounge to encourage new commitments toward global entrepreneurship, the Dell PolicyHackTM, and the creation of the Innovation Marketplace – the main hub of activities, tools, and resources for attendees of the GES.

Partners will also provide direct services for the entrepreneurs including connections with top mentors and investors in Silicon Valley, funding and prizes for the winning youth and women entrepreneurs of the GES+ Spark the Fire pitch competition, travel sponsorship for need-based entrepreneurs to attend, global media coverage, and programs to help entrepreneurs continue to grow and scale even after the Summit.

The Global Partners of GES 2016 are the following:

Al Jazeera Media Network
Blackstone Charitable Foundation
Bloomberg L.P.
Dalberg Global Development Advisors
Dell Inc.
Deloitte
Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation
Ernst & Young
GE
Google for Entrepreneurs
Kauffman Foundation
Microsoft
Omidyar Network
PayPal
Samsung
Silicon Valley Bank
Skoll Foundation
Stanford University
Stripe
Walmart
World Bank Group