Entrepreneurs' Organization, WaterBear and Static Waves Announce Content Partnership to Elevate Student Entrepreneurship

Collaboration will focus on storytelling and streaming of series celebrating the world’s leading student entrepreneurs; ‘Start it Up: Season Three’ premieres on WaterBear in June 2024

Dubai, United Arab Emirates (7 December) – Today at the ‘Extreme Hangout’ event located alongside the U.N.’s COP28, the Entrepreneurs’ Organization’s (EO) Global Student Entrepreneurs Awards (GSEA), and WaterBear, announced a partnership that aspires to elevate student entrepreneurship to new heights. This collaboration brings forth an innovative alliance to produce and showcase stories of young builders of business from around the world in season three of ‘Start it Up’.

Produced by EO, the world’s largest community of established entrepreneurs, in partnership with WaterBear and FAST channel group Static Waves, the home for short films and thought-provoking series, Start it Up will stream as a six-part docuseries that travels the world to identify, mentor and celebrate some of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs who are building businesses while also enrolled in college or university. This unique series will take a closer look at the lives of these student entrepreneurs in the final stage of the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) --from semi-finalists to finalists-- and the stories behind their innovative and inspiring start-up businesses. Students compete to become the Global Champion and a share of US$100,000 in cash prizes.

As part of this new partnership, the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) will premiere its third season on WaterBear in June 2024. The news was announced today at the youth-focused ‘Extreme Hangout’ in Dubai’s Expo City, located alongside the U.N.’s 28^th Conference of Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). During a special event organized by GSEA, leading members of EO participated in a panel discussion about ‘Entrepreneurs Raising Impact’, with EO Jordan member Abeer Qumsieh, founder and CEO of Better Business, and EO London member Pajani Singah, partner at Inflection Point Investments. The panel was moderated by Start it Up host, Nicole Banister, an award-winning TV show host and presenter, and followed by the screening of the season two finale.

“It has been incredibly rewarding to be able to share the inspirational stories of GSEA’s young changemakers through Start it Up, and I could not be more proud to partner with WaterBear to take these stories of innovation and resilience to an even wider audience. Together we hope to inspire a whole new generation of impact-focused entrepreneurs,” said Tamarin Morrell, EO’s Director for the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards programme.

“We are very excited to partner with GSEA and bring Start it Up to WaterBear. We believe students are the world’s changemakers and providing visibility to their businesses is a way to support them in making an impact,” said CEO Sam Saturia from WaterBear.

EO’s GSEA and WaterBear share a common commitment to using storytelling as a powerful tool to drive awareness, inspire action, and contribute to a sustainable future. This partnership aims to leverage the strengths of both organizations to create content that not only entertains but also educates and motivates viewers to make a positive impact on the world.

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Editors’ Notes:

For media inquiries or additional information, please contact: press@eonetwork.org

About EO: The Entrepreneurs’ Organization is a high-quality support network of 18,000 diverse business leaders across 80 countries. EO helps entrepreneurs achieve their full potential through the power of life-enhancing connections, shared experiences, and collaborative learning. EO has been helping entrepreneurs achieve transformational growth since 1987 and its member network is committed to learning and helping each other succeed. For more information or to get involved, follow us on Linkedin and visit our website: www.eonetwork.org

About GSEA: The Global Student Entrepreneur Awards is the premier global competition for university students. Each year, more than 1,000 student entrepreneurs from 35+ countries compete for the title of Global Champion and the chance to build their business and gain recognition for their innovation. GSEA is designed to inspire students to stretch themselves as the future’s leading entrepreneurs and bring their businesses greater global visibility. GSEA was founded at the John Cook School of Business at Saint Louis University in 1998, and the Entrepreneurs’ Organization took on ownership of the program in 2006. For more information visit: https://www.gsea.org/