SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Two Endeavor directors, Allen Taylor (Director, Global Networks, Endeavor Global) and Carmen Saad (Managing Director, Endeavor Jordan), have been admitted to the Kauffman Fellowship – a highly competitive two-year program dedicated to the world of venture capital and the cultivation of new high-tech, high-impact companies. They are the third and fourth members of the program from Endeavor.
“Endeavor is strongly committed to promoting investment in emerging markets and catalyzing local investor communities,” said Endeavor President Fernando Fabre who recently completed the Fellowship along with Rodrigo Teles, Managing Director of Endeavor Brazil. “Endeavor’s strong presence at Kauffman Fellows is an important way to introduce the US venture capital community to the exciting opportunities in developing countries.”
"Endeavor was the first organization to grasp the importance of our mission to bring smart, connected values-driven innovation capital to all entrepreneurs who need it, regardless of region or stage of growth," says Phil Wickham, President and CEO of the Center for Venture Education (which administers the Kauffman Fellows Program). "While their impact on our success in Latin America in just two years has been remarkable, we think we are just scratching the surface in terms of how we can work together to empower entrepreneurs globally."
Only thirty Kauffman Fellowships are offered each year. They take the form of “practical apprenticeships” which include professional coaching, mentoring by senior partners, and quarterly sessions of industry and leadership curricula conducted in Palo Alto, California. As lifetime members of the Society of Kauffman Fellows, Taylor and Saad – along with Endeavor itself – join a network that links together hundreds of investment firms collectively deploying $50B in venture capital.
Phil Wickham participated in the recent Endeavor Entrepreneur Summit, speaking on a panel on the “State of Venture Capital.” The Summit also featured a Silicon Valley Trek (Emerging Market Venture Day), hosted by Endeavor’s Investor Network, which brought together investors with over a dozen fast-growing Endeavor companies. The Summit and Silicon Valley Trek marked a milestone for Endeavor’s California office; since opening in 2009, the office has strengthened ties between emerging market entrepreneurs and the Silicon Valley VC community.
“Both Kauffman Fellows and Endeavor Entrepreneurs are now critical human components to the innovation and entrepreneurial engines of the global economy,” asserts Jason Green, a founder of Emergence Capital Partners, who serves on Endeavor’s Global Board and is a member of the Charter Class of Kauffman Fellows. “Seeing them come together is an extremely powerful concept with multiplicative impact for both organizations and the world. I'm most proud to see the give back mentality inherent in both organizations’ values and am incredibly excited to see their impact together for decades to come.”
About Endeavor
Endeavor transforms the economies of emerging markets by identifying and supporting High-Impact Entrepreneurs - those with the biggest ideas and most scalable businesses. Headquartered in New York, Endeavor has offices in 15 countries and operates in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Mexico, South Africa, Turkey and Uruguay. In each of these places, Endeavor's work is supported by a world-class network of business leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs. Endeavor's rigorous Search & Selection process has screened more than 28,000 candidates and selected 604 Endeavor Entrepreneurs representing 385 companies from some of the world's fastest growing economies. In turn, these High-Impact Entrepreneurs have created over 150,000 high-value jobs and generated $4.5 billion in revenues in 2010.
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About The Kauffman Fellows Program
The Kauffman Fellows Program is administered by the Center for Venture Education, a 501(c)(3) post-graduate educational institution dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship throughout society. The mission of the Kauffman Fellows Program is to identify, develop, and network emerging global leaders in venture capital. Success means that entrepreneurs are building stronger, more enduring companies and, correspondingly, venture investors are realizing enhanced returns. To date, Kauffman Fellows have made $6 billion in venture capital investments, sparking growth in hundreds of new enterprises, $15 billion in annually recurring revenues, and the creation of 50,000 jobs. For more information, visit http://www.kauffmanfellows.org.