To support the growing entrepreneurial sprit in Peru, a large tour of international speakers came to Lima to celebrate and share best practices about becoming a successful entrepreneur. The tour, called the “Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour” is one of the largest entrepreneurship events in the world, having visited more than 400 universities and chambers of commerce in the U.S. to date. From April 16-19, the event embarked on its first-ever world tour, and Peru was the first stop.

The three-day event was designed to build excitement and know-how among the entrepreneurial community, bringing seven successful entrepreneurs and motivational speakers to share their insights, knowledge, and expertise in leadership and business. Speakers included representatives from businesses like HP and Google, the founder of Priceline.com, and successful entrepreneurs under 30.

The event was hosted by the University of Lima as part of its 50th anniversary celebration. The University of Lima is actively committed to building an improved, successful framework for their School of Entrepreneurship. “We are trying to give our students a global vision on how to build a business and follow their dreams. Bringing people from the states gives them new insights that are very helpful,” said Patricia Stuart, who manages the school.

The first day of the event included over 15 talks and panels, and was attended by over 800 students and professors from universities all across Lima, as well as young entrepreneurs and professionals.

Leading the effort and execution was Gonzalo Vasco, who, at age 22, works with the Peruvian Chamber of e-Commerce and is a rising talent in the field of entrepreneurship. Gonzalo led a team of 15 students from several universities, who came together to execute the event and attract sponsors. “Peru needs this,” Gonzalo said. “The people who have come here are amazing. Everyone here attending is excited. We need more collaboration and this event is a big start for the development of entrepreneurship in Peru. We think that bringing so many incredible speakers, young entrepreneurs, expert, motivational speakers will make a big impact in Peru.”

The host of the event, Arel Moodie (considered one of America´s young top speakers and featured in many major US media outlets) talked about the importance of the charisma of the speakers as role models: “It’s important to bring an energy, people having fun and excited about entrepreneurship. We’ve been welcomed with open arms and have had a fantastic time.”

 Brian Tippens, who leads Hewlett Packard‘s Global Procurement Sustainability & Innovation organization, also participated in the event and spoke to to the need of strong role models for international entrepreneurs. “It’s not only about the ‘know-how’ but the ‘know-who.’ [It’s important] for aspiring entrepreneurs to be able to make connections first hand with those who have created success,” he said.

Jeff Hoffman, founder of Priceline, another great role model, spoke to the group about how entrepreneurial DNA can live inside of anyone, now matter who they are or where they come from. I had a chance to chat with him before his talk, and was impressed by his commitment to being a mentor among the global community, speaking over 500 times in countries around the world over the years.

“Peru has been fantastic. I don’t like to go places where people aren’t interested. If they don’t have a passion for entrepreneurship, we are wasting our time. It’s the opposite experience here; the interest in entrepreneurship, the passion for it, the desire to build something of their own, is really strong and growing here in Peru,“ he said.

The second day included “VIP networking” where attendees could interact personally with the speakers. The third day included an open panel where members of the entrepreneurship ecosystem could learn about each other, make new connections, and find collaborative ways to work together.

Overall I’m excited and relieved to see this much-needed international support for the future of entrepreneurship in Peru. The lack of hands-on mentorship will continue to keep me up at night until we have a full-service incubator/accelerator supporting many young teams. The challenge in Peru is that many of the local business leaders with this know-how have limited time because they are feverishly growing their own companies in a booming economy.

Even still, it is a huge win every time there is exposure to new ways of thinking, new approaches and tips from supporters who have proven success, which allows entrepreneurs in Peru to think bigger, dream bigger, and have more confidence in their belief that they can succeed. Together with mentors and leaders from the local and international community, we can change the future of a country, one entrepreneurial mind at time.
 

Kate is the voice of business, technology and entrepreneurship in Peru.  She currently helps technologies from the US expand to Peru and serves as an advisor for Peru Capital Network - Peru's first formal Angel Investor Network. 

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