GIST Community | GIST Network

Innovators

By combining its online platform with on-the-ground partners, GIST creates education and training opportunities for young innovators in more than 130 countries around the world by providing access to U.S. experts and through in-country entrepreneurship networks and support systems.

Ecosystem Builders

Ecosystem Builders aim to bolster networking and entrepreneurial skills to build durable, long-term, supportive networks. The ultimate goal is to stimulate local entrepreneurial activity and ensure participants can grow their skills and scale their businesses together – both in their home country and through the GIST Network’s global connections.

Investors

GIST partners with in-country stakeholders in entrepreneurial ecosystems to bolster local financial support for startups. GIST is able to bring American investment experts to different regions around the world and provides an opportunity for in-country investors to learn how to create and sustain investor networks for entrepreneurs.

Partners

Since 2011, GIST has partnered with the private sector to reach over 27 million innovation community members globally and has provided training for over 15,000 startups who have gone on to generate over $250 million in revenue. This is done through competitions, startup trainings, and interactive online programs, implemented by AAAS and VentureWell. If you would like to explore partnership opportunities please contact Hillary LeBail.

General Pitch Competition

GIST runs a variety of Pitch Competitions that do not fall into the same category as Tech-I or Catalyst. These are usually associated with specific conferences or themes.

Business Incubation

The U.S. Department of State’s Global Innovation through Science and Technology, or GIST, Initiative launched this new program in the fall of 2019 for entrepreneurs in emerging economies.

GIST Startup Trainings

GIST Startup Trainings empower young science and technology innovators and entrepreneurs through on-the-ground training and mentoring delivered by top U.S. mentors and in-country partners.

GIST Tech-I Pitch Competition

The GIST Tech-I Competition is an annual competition for science and technology entrepreneurs from emerging economies worldwide.

GIST Catalyst Pitch Competition

Applications open 2 August for the 2021 GIST Virtual Pitch Competition!

The GIST Innovates program is a multi-component training program to provide innovators with the training, mentoring, and resources they need to bring their ideas out of the university lab and into the market.

Resources

GIST TechConnect

GIST TechConnects provides entrepreneurs around the world with direct access to leading U.S. experts from business and academia, but without the travel and other related costs.

GIST Innovation Hubs

Innovation Hubs, or IHubs, are designed to build strong and vibrant networks of young science and technology entrepreneurs around the world.

News

Bhutan: A Country That Will Change the World

Why did GIST choose to bring its teams of experts, instructors, and mentors to Bhutan? What is it about this secluded Asian nation that makes it a perfect fit for GIST’s mission to empower science and technology innovators and strengthen emerging economies? The answers might surprise you; there is much, much more to this small mountain kingdom than meets the eye.

GIST Insights: Advancing AgTech

The impact of agriculture on our society cannot be overstated. Agriculture transformed us from nomads to farmers, allowed for the building of cities and nations, as well as new achievements in art, writing, and math. Despite this, AgTech can be seen as a less glamorous and sometimes overlooked field for innovative entrepreneurs.

The Cleantech Revolution is Here

Cleantech innovation has emerged as the hottest space to be in for entrepreneurs wanting to make a positive impact with their commercial venture. Entrepreneurs in the cleantech sector are providing creative solutions not just to everyday issues but also to the larger issue of directly addressing the threat of the climate crisis. As the world collectively grapples with the threat of the climate crisis, this focus allows innovators to have significant contributions to local, regional, and global issues.

GIST Insights: Delivering Through Diversity

Diversity can mean a lot of things, but at the end of the day, it’s really about creating a space where different voices can contribute to making a better whole. Creating spaces where people from all sorts of perspectives can make meaningful contributions isn’t just good for you and your co-workers; it can be an incredible asset to your business. What are some of these assets, and how can you make the most of them?

Getting Your Startup Funded: a Q&A with StringersHub founder Yakau Buta

StringersHub is a marketplace that connects stringers and news media buyers with real-time and viral video content from all around the world.

GIST Insights - 5 Ways to be Ready for Investors

At some point during their entrepreneurial journey, an innovator will need to seek investment in order to move their solution forward. Investment can take many forms from self-funding, to crowdfunding, to venture capital, to angel capital. Knowing the difference between them, and when to use them or to refuse them, allows an entrepreneur to find the funding that best fits their venture’s needs. We’ve put these steps together from our industry experts for you to understand and be prepared for investment in your startup.

GIST Launches Innovates Bhutan Program to Support Early-stage Innovators

Thanks to a partnership between the U.S. Department of State’s Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) initiative, iHUb Bhutan, the Loden Foundation, and the Bhutan Foundation, seventeen Bhutanese innovators will begin work this month toward realizing their dream of starting and scaling their business.

Exploring Cleantech Solutions with Juliana Garaizar of Greentown Labs

GIST sat down with Juliana Garaizar of Greentown labs to discuss the role that ecosystem building and corporate partnerships have in supporting cleantech solutions.

Understanding and Using Blockchain for Your Startup: a Q&A with Syed Abrar Ahmed of Liber Health

Blockchain is a relatively new tool that has made headlines in recent years as a way to create highly secure online databases. In this interview we discuss how it works and when to use it for your startup.

Ecosystem Building, Accelerators, and How to Innovate in the Cleantech Field: a Q&A with GIST Innovation Hub Berytech of Lebanon

In this Q&A with Berytech's Elias Nicolas we explore ecosystem building, accelerator programs, and how innovators can prepare themselves for entering the cleantech field.

GIST Insights: 3 Cleantech Sectors that Need Your Innovative Solutions

Wherever you are in your entrepreneurial journey, from just startin

Women Founders Share Insights During TechConnect on Building a Startup From the Ground Up

Finding the right resources before you commit yourself to a startup can make the difference between success and failure. The most recent GIST TechConnect: Building a Startup From the Ground Up provides unique perspectives on the steps early-stage innovators take when building their startups.