The Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) is a global competition for undergraduate and graduate students who own and operate businesses. Nominees compete against their peers from around the world for the chance to win capital and in-kind prizes from sponsor organisations. Founded in 1998 by Saint Louis University, GSEA is now an Entrepreneurs’ Organisation (EO) program. This year, the national finals of this competition will be held in Chennai.
“The backbone of every nation is its students, while entrepreneurs serve as spark plug in the country's economic engine. The economic success of nations worldwide is the result of encouraging & rewarding entrepreneurial instinct. EO GSEA is a global competition for student entrepreneurs encouraging entrepreneurial instinct, Identifying the next generation of idea makers, job creators & influencers. It is truly a nation building exercise,” said K Chandrasekhar, GESA Director, South Asia.
Navneet Raman, GSEA Convenor, Chennai, was of the opinion that, “The GSEA provides students the opportunity to form lasting relationships with students and the entrepreneur judges. Over the years, participating students have gone on to create thousands of jobs and generate millions in revenue. The Entrepreneur Organisation looks for entrepreneurship among students and nurtures them to become successful in business and this drive the world forward. Personally, GSEA has given me an opportunity to enable and encourage entrepreneurship among students.”
Piyush Bhandari, GSEA Co – Convenor, Chennai said: “GSEA is the best platform for students to showcase themselves and their business. Applications have been shortlisted zone-wise nationally; the scrutinizing semi-finals and finals are scheduled to take place in Chennai on March 12. The the regional Champion from India will get an opportunity to attend the GSEA Finals in Bangkokand compete with the world’s top student entrepreneurs who will present their business strategies in front of a global panel and stand a chance to win $20,000 in cash and business services.”
The annual event sees competition from 42 countries.