"Politicians and bureaucrats have nothing to do with entrepreneurship" said Lars Peder Nordbakken, Norwegian politician, business strategist and consultant during his presentation held at one of the Global Entrepreneurship Week events in Oslo. His inspiring speech on Time to think of Innovation Policy in Norway attracted an audience of 60. Organizers resourcefully requested him to repeat his eye-opening remarks at another event scheduled for a later time. Mr. Nordbakken could overtop this kind invitation by expressing strong interest in joining GEW as a key partner next year to grow this event even bigger in Norway.

CONNECT Norway (a non-profit helping startups) encompasses companies that represent competences from both the public and the private sector. They help entrepreneurs speed up their commercialization process and prepare them to meet investors and industrial partners throughout the year. On this special GEW-week, one of their partners, Jens Huseby gave an interesting presentation titled "Bootstrapping a start up" to a very captive audience.

Other exciting activities in the country included a Professor from the Design School of Norway, Stienar Killi demonstrating how 3D can be an opportunity for entrepreneurs and Ann Louis Hubert inspiring her audience with her fascinating journey that led her to become a social entrepreneur. She brought smile to the faces of her audience by saying the memorable quote: "you don't need to change the world, but you can!"

It is worthwhile to mention that during GEW, the Oscars for Norwegian startups comes to Oslo (hosted by Janni K.). The stupendous Nordic Startup Awards show will recognize and celebrate the most innovative startups in Norway and in the Nordics. The series of 5 events of this kind, in Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Sweden will conclude in the Copenhagen Grand Finale in December, where the startup kings and queens of the Nordic region will be crowned.

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This post is a guest contribution from Daniel Szabo, a young Hungarian entrepreneur working out of the GEW Global offices in Washington, DC.

Daniel is a graduate student of the Corvinus University of Budapest. He works with future startup generations in Hungary through the Kairos Society and the Young Entrepreneurs Association (FIVOSZ), globally through the One Young World network.

tags: bootstrapping, gew, National Host, Norway, Oscars, social entrepreneurship