Secretary Pritzker Announces Inaugural Members of the Presidential Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship Initiative

Secretary Pritzker will today chair the first-ever meeting of the Presidential Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship (PAGE) initiative, a group of successful American businesspeople who have committed to sharing their time, energy, ideas, and experience to help develop the next generation of entrepreneurs.

President Obama announced that the Administration would form a committee of entrepreneurs, to be chaired by Secretary Pritzker, last October during the Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are also partners in this effort.

Research indicates that new and young companies are responsible for virtually all new job growth across the United States. Not only do they create positions for those entering the job market for the first time, but they also absorb workers who may have been laid off from companies that are contracting.

Members have agreed to participate in an ongoing dialogue with policy makers globally to discuss how to create an environment where creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship can grow and thrive.  They will also participate in outreach and mentorship activities to help promote start-up culture, and energize their own personal and professional networks to challenge and inspire budding entrepreneurs and raise awareness of the many resources available to them.

The inaugural members of PAGE are:

•     Rich Barton, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Zillow
•     Tory Burch, Chief Executive Officer, Tory Burch; Founder, Tory Burch Foundation
•     Steve Case, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Revolution
•     Helen Greiner, Founder and CEO, CyPhy Works; CoFounder, iRobot Corporation
•     Reid Hoffman, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, LinkedIn
•     Quincy Jones, Chief Executive Officer, Quincy Jones Productions
•     Salman Khan, Founder and Executive Director, Khan Academy
•     Daphne Koller, Co-Founder and President, Coursera
•     Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Chobani
•     Nina Vaca, Chief Executive Officer, Pinnacle Technical Resources
•     Alexa von Tobel, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, LearnVest