Global Entrepreneurship Week 2026 runs from 16 to 22 November across the UK, celebrating entrepreneurship as a force for good. Here's what it is, what's happening, and what I'm doing to celebrate purpose-led founders in and around Brighton & Hove.
Every November, tens of thousands of events take place across more than 200 countries as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week - the world's largest civic campaign for enterprise. In the UK, the week is hosted by the Centre for Entrepreneurs and brings together founders, investors, policymakers and community organisations to celebrate entrepreneurship and the people behind it.
It began here, in fact. Enterprise Week launched in the UK in 2004, and was scaled globally in 2007 through a joint initiative by then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the Kauffman Foundation. Two decades on, it has grown into something genuinely significant - more than ten million participants and over 40,000 events worldwide.
And yet, unless you're already plugged into the enterprise ecosystem, it can be surprisingly hard to find out what's actually happening. So I've put together a guide.
This Year's Theme: Entrepreneurs Thrive Here
The 2026 theme is Entrepreneurs Thrive Here, and the idea behind it is a simple, important one: that viable, high-growth enterprise can and should emerge everywhere - not just in the established venture corridors. It's a recognition that entrepreneurial talent exists in every region and every community, and that many of the people who could build brilliant businesses face structural obstacles that have nothing to do with the quality of their ideas.
It's also a challenge to the assumption that entrepreneurship is only about technology startups and venture capital. Some of the most impactful businesses being built right now are purpose-led, community-rooted and commercially ambitious - and they deserve the same recognition and support.
What's Happening Across the UK
The Enterprise Summit - London, Monday 16 November
The week kicks off with the Enterprise Summit at Level39, Canary Wharf - an invitation-only opening event that brings together senior government officials, institutional investors, scaleup founders and ecosystem leaders. Organised by Integra with backing from HaysMac, it's the national policy and market-shaping forum for British enterprise.
Among those attending: Henry Dimbleby MBE (co-founder of Leon and Bramble Partners), Debbie Wosskow CBE (founder of Love Home Swap and co-chair of the Invest in Women Taskforce), Sam Smith (founder of finnCap and The SuperScalers), Sir Lloyd Dorfman CVO CBE (founder of Travelex), and Sonny, Lord Leong CBE, the Minister for Small Business and Enterprise.
Scotland — Aberdeen
In Scotland, GEW is anchored at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, where the Entrepreneurship & Innovation Group runs an official multi-day programme connecting academic research with regional economic impact. Highlights include a business breakfast on Tuesday 17 November exploring collaboration between universities and industry, an interactive panel on Wednesday 18 November - AI People Actually Want to Use - chaired by Caroline Laurenson and featuring leaders from Women in Tech Aberdeen, examining how founders can move from AI hype to practical, trustworthy implementation. On Thursday 19 November, Aberdeen Business School stages a Business Ideas and Opportunities Trade Fair, giving student entrepreneurs a physical platform to display commercial prototypes and pitch to stakeholders.
Northern Ireland
Dedicated Enterprise Week programmes run across four council areas - Mid Ulster, Newry Mourne and Down, Fermanagh and Omagh, and Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon - delivered in partnership with Invest Northern Ireland. Practical workshops covering business planning, financial management, export markets and R&D incentives, with dedicated tracks for rural businesses and social enterprises.
Wales
The Welsh Government activates GEW through Business Wales, running an integrated national campaign throughout the week. Big Ideas Wales delivers tailored enterprise campaigns for aspiring entrepreneurs under 25 - a welcome focus on the next generation.
Yorkshire & the Humber
Hull and East Yorkshire runs what is arguably the most impressive community enterprise programme in the country - and this year marks its 23rd consecutive year. Led by the Hull and East Yorkshire Youth Enterprise Partnership, the week includes enterprise conferences at Hull's Guildhall, the Badgers Sett Enterprise Challenge (created by former BBC Apprentice finalist Ruth Badger), youth enterprise awards, and a visit from the Minister for Small Business. It is a genuinely inspiring example of what sustained, local commitment to enterprise looks like.
East Midlands
The CBIT Venture Builder hosts Would You Invest? - an interactive workshop at Nottingham's Newton Building, designed with corporate risk specialist Howden. University founders and venture builder participants work through a fictional startup case study, assess its risk profile and make investment recommendations as though they were sitting on an investment committee. A brilliant format for anyone building a business and thinking about what investors actually look for.
North West and North East
Verified activity clusters across both regions, with the University of Salford, Liverpool, Manchester and the Micro Business Alliance delivering workshops, founder showcases and cross-ecosystem connection sessions.
And the South East?
I looked. I looked quite hard, in fact. And I was unable to find any officially branded GEW activities taking place in the South East of England this year. For a region with one of the strongest independent and purpose-led business communities in the country - Brighton & Hove alone is among the top five UK cities outside London for the number of certified B Corps - this felt like a gap worth filling.
So during GEW week, I'm running a series on LinkedIn featuring a selection of purpose-led founders based in Brighton & Hove. Each feature tells the story of a local founder - what they've built, what drives them, the difference their business makes, and what it's like to build a purpose-led business here on the south coast.
The theme Entrepreneurs Thrive Here is one that resonates deeply with me. Brighton is a city where independent, values-driven businesses are the culture, and the founders I'm featuring are living proof of that. I'll be sharing their stories throughout the week on LinkedIn and I hope you'll follow along.
Women's Entrepreneurship Day - Thursday 19 November
Falling midway through the week, Women's Entrepreneurship Day brings a specific and important focus. The numbers speak for themselves: research cited by enterprise leaders and parliamentary committees estimates that if female entrepreneurs had equal access to growth capital and institutional support, the UK economy could unlock an additional £310 billion in economic output.
At present, early-stage institutional capital still flows disproportionately toward male-dominated sectors. Debbie Wosskow CBE's work as co-chair of the Invest in Women Taskforce is directly targeted at changing this - securing commitments from venture capital signatories, opening access to commercial debt, and building investor networks that route institutional funding to female founders.
This is something I care about deeply. Many of the founders I work with are women building purpose-led businesses, and the structural barriers they face - from funding to the authority gap - are real and persistent. The more we celebrate and support female entrepreneurship, the closer we get to unlocking that extraordinary potential.
Get Involved
Whether you're a founder, someone thinking about starting a business, or simply someone who believes entrepreneurship matters, GEW is a brilliant moment to connect, learn and celebrate.
You can explore official events through the Global Entrepreneurship Network UK and the Centre for Entrepreneurs. If you're in Brighton & Hove, follow me on LinkedIn where I'll be sharing local founder stories throughout the week.
Happy Global Entrepreneurship Week 2026.
I work with purpose-led founders and leaders at every stage of growth. If this piece has sparked something - and you'd like to think about what it means for your business, I'd welcome a conversation.
