 has launched a new Centre of Entrepreneurship in Tbilisi, Georgia, to support entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in the country and across the Central Asia and Caucasus region. The centre will provide trainings, seminars, mentorship programmes, networking sessions and more to help SMEs succeed and contribute to the wealth of their country.){kind=link}
The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has today opened a new Centre of Entrepreneurship in Tbilisi, Georgia, to provide support to entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in the country and Central Asia and Caucasus region.
The ICC Centre of Entrepreneurship in Tbilisi will work with various stakeholders in the region, including local business organisations and academic institutions, to help entrepreneurs succeed and contribute to the wealth of their country. The centre will offer high-impact training, digital platforms and market opportunities to SMEs, which make up more than 90% of businesses in Georgia.
The launch of the new centre was attended by over 50 Georgian business leaders and international representatives, including ICC Secretary General John W.H. Denton AO, ICC Georgia Chairman Fady Asly, European Union Ambassador to Georgia H.E Pawel Herczynski, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative Nick Beresford, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Regional Director Catarina Bjorling and Asian Development Bank (ADB) Country Director Shane Rosenthal.
The ICC Centre of Entrepreneurship in Tbilisi will provide various programmes to support SMEs, including trainings, seminars and webinars, mentorship programmes for startups, networking sessions and meetings with business sector representatives, and the creation of affordable coworking spaces. The centre will also work to shape and inspire the future generation of business leaders, by providing knowledge and skills to young people who face uncertain employment prospects.
Furthermore, the ICC Centre of Entrepreneurship in Tbilisi will also help strengthen and improve the startup and business ecosystem in the region, stimulating economic growth and the creation of job opportunities. John W.H. Denton AO, ICC Secretary General, said: “Located at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, Georgia is well-positioned – both economically and geographically – to harness the full potential of the ICC Centre of Entrepreneurship’s capacity to promote and support market-based economies in the Caucasus region. We look forward to bringing ICC’s expertise, knowledge and experience to Georgia to help local businesses grow and connect to global markets.”
The latest addition to the ICC Centre of Entrepreneurship brings the number of hubs helping entrepreneurs and small businesses worldwide to twelve. The central mission of the ICC Centre of Entrepreneurship is to globalise and democratise entrepreneurship, by creating the largest interconnected business-led entrepreneurial ecosystem with the objective of fighting poverty, inequalities and promoting SME growth.