Ernst & Young announces three-year sponsorship with Endeavor

Ernst & Young is delighted to announce a landmark three-year sponsorship with Endeavor, a not-for-profit organization that works with high-impact entrepreneurs in emerging markets to improve and grow their businesses with the goal of transforming emerging economies and establishing entrepreneurship as a leading force for sustainable economic development.

Endeavor is already present in eleven emerging economies (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Mexico, South Africa, Turkey and Uruguay) and has created over 100,000 jobs; contributed billions of dollars back into local economies and assisted in the creation of hundreds of role models for people to pursue the path of entrepreneurship.

The sponsorship is part of Ernst & Young's ongoing commitment to entrepreneurial companies in emerging economies around the world.

Maria Pinelli, Global Vice Chair Strategic Growth Markets for Ernst & Young explains, "In emerging markets, entrepreneurship plays an important role in fueling growth, adding jobs and building communities. Endeavor has proven itself to be highly effective at unleashing the power of the entrepreneurial spirit in these markets.”

Ernst & Young will be making available a bespoke course entitled “finance for exceptional enterprises” to all Endeavor entrepreneurs. This will provide them with access to Ernst & Young resources and give them knowledge and technical insight to help drive and accelerate their growth.

Endeavor co-founder and CEO Linda Rottenberg says: "We’re thrilled to be working with Ernst & Young. There's an incredibly strong alignment between our two organizations’ commitments to promoting high-impact entrepreneurs throughout the world."

Ernst & Young will continue to actively support Endeavor's International Selection Panels, held throughout the year, where the organization screens and selects a group of extraordinary emerging market entrepreneurs who have the potential to transform industries, communities, and even countries.

Linda adds, “Endeavor is excited to become a designated supporter of Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year (EOY) program in emerging markets. The linkages are so powerful: earlier this year the Jordan EOY winner was an Endeavor entrepreneur.”

Last week Ernst & Young was pleased to be a sponsor of the 2011 Endeavor Entrepreneur Summit in San Francisco, California. With over 300 attendees the Summit included three days of inspirational keynote speakers, interactive workshops, networking opportunities and breakout discussions that addressed high-impact entrepreneurs’ most pressing needs and challenges.

Ernst & Young is also the key sponsor of the Endeavor Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report to be released on 15 July 2011.