Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship
California State University, Chico
College of Business
Chico, CA 95929-0011
Ph. 530-898-4824 Fax 530-898-4491
Contact: Curtis L. DeBerg cdeberg@csuchico.edu
Canisius College and Buffalo to Host Youth Global Entrepreneurship
Competition
Chico, California-Over 180 teenagers from 14 countries are coming to Buffalo to compete in the
ninth annual Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship ("SAGE") World Cup
tournament on July 22-26. Canisius College will host the delegations from each country. On hand to
judge the teams will be about 75 more business and education leaders from across the globe.
There are two categories of competition. The first category is the Best Socially-Responsible Business
and the second category is the Best Social Enterprise. The top three teams in each category win prize
money, a trophy and bragging rights as the world's best youth enterprise teams.
SAGE, based in California, is modeled after interscholastic sporting events. "But instead of competing
on speed, strength or endurance, we provide teens with a chance to compete based on the creativity and impact oftheir socially-responsible businesses," said California State University Chico business
professor Curt DeBerg, who is also SAGE's executive director.
Pete Eimer, an assistant professor at D'Youville College, serves as SAGE's North America coordinator.
"We are thrilled to showcase Buffalo on a world stage," said Eimer. "Not only will the teens get a
chance to see that Buffalo is a great international city, but each delegation will be accompanied by
several business leaders who serve as judges and panelists."
According to Eimer, the program is growing. Two years ago, nine countries participated in the SAGE
World Cup in Brazil, with the winning team coming from Abuja, Nigeria. Last summer, 13 countries
vied for top honors in Cape Town, with a high school from Singapore claiming first place.
Eimer said SAGE Board members wanted to bring the event to the USA this year. Buffalo was selected to host this year's competition, instead of California's Silicon Valley, for three reasons.
One reason is that Buffalo hosted last year's U.S.A. SAGE national tournament. SAGE executives were pleased with Buffalo's hospitality, business climate and the makeup ofthe judging panel. Judges
consisted of several area business leaders. A second reason is that the John R. Oishei Foundation liked
the event so much that it offered to support this year'sWorld Cup if someone else in the Buffalo area
would match its support. "The Patrick F. Lee Foundation stepped up and matched Oishei' s support,"
Eimer said.
The third reason is that Canisius College agreed to host the participants.
"The SAGE World Cup Tournament presents a wonderful opportunity for our international guests to
visit our great city and the Canisius College campus," said President John J. Hurley. "New ventures and small businesses are a rapidly growing component ofthe American economy. At Canisius, we foster the study of entrepreneurship not only through our academic major in the field but also through internships and scholarship programs; popular student-run business ventures such as MyLinkFace and QuadGear; as well as the student chapters of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), the Canisius Entrepreneurs' Organization (CEO) and the Can Do Society."
SAGE is based in California, and was founded by DeBerg in 2002. DeBerg said that this program offers all businesses a direct way to connect with teenage youth. At the competition, each team is given 30 minutes to explain details oftheir entrepreneurial venture to a panel of community leaders. After reading the annual report in the first 10 minutes, the team makes a 13-minute oral presentation, followed by 7 minutes, which are set aside for judges to ask questions of the presenters.
Examples of SAGE's global impact include projects ranging from conservation of magnolia trees in
China and the introduction of new construction materials made from palm fronds in the Philippines. One team that DeBerg remembers fondly is a local Buffalo-area team from Holy Angels Academy, which represented the US in Cape Town last year. "These young women did a project where they helped provide clean drinking water to developing countries through a product called Lifestraws."
In addition to the US, countries to be represented include Burundi, Canada, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, England, Ghana, Ireland, Russia, Singapore, Ukraine, South Africa, and Zambia. Other countries are planning to send delegations to observe, including Burkina Faso, India and, possibly, Iran.
Eimer said that there are opportunities for local businesses and civic leaders to participate. Executives
and managers can serve as competition judges, and if they want recognition for their organizations, they are invited to sponsor competition leagues or the awards banquet set for July 25. The keynote speaker for the banquet will be Steve Mariotti, founder of the internationally acclaimed Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE).
For more information about serving as a judge or sponsorship, call 716-880-7311 or send an email to
pce633@aol.com. Additional information about SAGE can be found at http://sageglobal.org.
