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Originally released October 9, 2018

For one week starting Monday, October 15, Good Work Network, ��������’ Center for Entrepreneurship and Community Development, and the social entrepreneurship organization Propeller will host seven international entrepreneurs from Albania, Armenia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, France, Macedonia, and the Netherlands. The entrepreneurs have all been awarded the Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative Fellowship, which is the flagship program of the Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative (YTILI) of the U.S. Department of State, and which is supported in its implementation by The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF).

Entrepreneurs are a driving force for economic development, job creation, security, and good governance across Europe. YTILI empowers young European and Eurasian entrepreneurs and innovators with the tools, networks, and resources they need to turn ideas into action and grow successful enterprises. Recognizing that European entrepreneurs face unique challenges to starting a business, the YTILI program is also a vehicle for building a transatlantic network of leaders that can more fully contribute to an ongoing policy dialogue to strengthen entrepreneurial ecosystems and opportunities for innovation.

As YTILI mentors and hosts, Good Work Network’s Executive Director Hermione Malone, Loyola Center for Entrepreneurship’s Interim Director Kate McCrery, and Propeller’s Director of Programs Danial Applewhite will provide the Fellows with business coaching, connections to the city’s business and civic leadership, and a work space during their time in New Orleans. The entrepreneurs will also take part in events that showcase New Orleans’ robust culture, music, and history.

“Good Work Network is pleased to partner with the U.S. Department of State, German Marshall Fund of the United States, and our colleagues in the New Orleans entrepreneurship ecosystem - Loyola University and Propeller - to welcome this dynamic cohort of Fellows to our city,” said Malone. “We have seen the value in fostering transatlantic dialogue to further innovation, partnership, and stronger economies both here and abroad, and are excited to support this work through the YTILI program."

“We at Loyola’s Center for Entrepreneurship are honored to be a co-host and home base for some of Europe’s most promising entrepreneurs,” McCrery added. “We three are proud to represent not only our own organizations, but also the New Orleans entrepreneurial ecosystem as a whole and our community’s willingness to embrace innovation as a city.”

The organizations will host the Fellows until Saturday, October 23, after which the Fellows and organizations will attend a closing conference for the program at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC.