Commerce Department Launches First Startup Global Pilot Event

The U.S. Department of Commerce officially launched the Startup Global initiative on April 2, the first in a series of pilot program educational events.

The event took place at 1776, a local business incubator in Washington, D.C., which is one of four such locations to be selected as pilot sites. U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker announced Startup Global, an initiative designed to help more startup firms think global from the earliest stages of a company’s growth in February.

The first workshop attracted dozens of early-stage companies looking to gain technical assistance on selling their goods and services worldwide. Participants learned more about the path to going global, the availability of key federal and local government resources, and best practices in intellectual property protection and licensing.

“Many U.S. entrepreneurs and early-stage companies are poised to rapidly expand to global markets as a means of growing their customer base and sales,” said Secretary Pritzker. “This is the first time the Department of Commerce has partnered with business incubators and the startup community to provide the know-how and technical assistance they need to export their goods and services to the 95% of global consumers outside the United States. We look forward to expanding our working relationships with incubators like 1776, to help entrepreneurs think global from day one.”

Startup Global pilot events will not only provide direct assistance to startups, but also collect data and measure demand to inform the creation of a national program. Upcoming seminars will be hosted in the first half of 2015 in Cincinnati, Ohio; Nashville, Tenn.; and Arlington, Texas.

To learn more about Startup Global, click here.