Entrepreneurship—the economic force that built America—can benefit any nation. The Kauffman Global Scholars Program fosters international entrepreneurship by immersing top young entrepreneurs from around the world in America’s entrepreneurial culture.
The Kauffman Foundation, America’s leading foundation on entrepreneurship, founded the Global Scholars Program in 2007 in collaboration with the United Kingdom government, then Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, and the National Council of Graduate Entrepreneurship. The program gives select young engineering, science, and technology scholars from other countries the opportunity to study entrepreneurship in America.
For six months, Kauffman Global Scholars study, exchange ideas, and work with U.S. entrepreneurial experts. The groundbreaking program offers aspiring entrepreneurs:
- Direct access to American researchers, business founders, and policymakers who give scholars the insights to foster entrepreneurship in their own countries and to transform their entrepreneurial dreams into reality.
- Mentors who individually guide and coach each Scholar throughout the course of the six-month program.
- Visits to leading American universities to exchange ideas with faculty, students, and those engaged in innovative, entrepreneurial work.
- Three-month entrepreneurship internships at innovative entrepreneurial companies. Here, the Scholars experience the real-life challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship and, in turn, share their skills and talents with the mentoring companies.
An International Give-and-Take
In today’s economy, companies must think and act globally to succeed. The Kauffman Global Scholars Program forms the cornerstone of an important transnational dialogue that benefits all who participate.
Upon completing the program, Scholars take home a keen understanding of how they can apply their ideas, technical skills, and knowledge to create successful, high-impact ventures in their countries. And, the U.S. companies that host the Global Scholars as interns gain an insider’s view of the resources, cultures, and business practices that characterize the countries with which they may do business.