The growth and prosperity of all economies,
rapid-growth and mature, remain highly
dependent on entrepreneurial activity.
Entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of economic
growth — they provide a source of income
and employment for themselves, create
employment for others, produce new and
innovative products or services, and drive
greater upstream and downstream valuechain
activities. While some entrepreneurial
activity around the world is still driven by
necessity, high-impact entrepreneurship,
once largely confi ned to mature markets,
is now an essential driver of economic
expansion in rapid-growth markets. In some
cases, these high-impact entrepreneurs are
building innovative and scalable enterprises
that capitalize on local needs and serve
as role models for new entrepreneurs.
The face of entrepreneurship is also
changing — across the world, entrepreneurs
are increasingly young and/or female.
Many of these new enterprises are digital
from birth. Access to funding remains the
primary obstacle for entrepreneurs from all
markets. The public and private sector each
have an important role to play in creating
entrepreneurial ecosystems that, in addition
to funding, are essential to promoting
entrepreneurial success.
Megatrends