Jonathan Ortmans
President, Global Entrepreneurship Network
Jonathan Ortmans is the founder and president of the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN), a Washington, D.C.-based organisation operating programs and chapters in 200 nations to support entrepreneurs and foster healthier entrepreneurial ecosystems.
Raised in the United Kingdom, Ortmans trained as an economist, worked on Capitol Hill in Washington, and served as the CEO of a health care and trade policy think tank. His career has also included two successful startup exits.
Ortmans built GEN through its cornerstone initiative, Global Entrepreneurship Week where he assembled a broad multi-disciplinary coalition of partners and communities in 200 countries that now serve as the backbone of GEN operations around the world, including entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, researchers, and entrepreneurial support organisations.
Ortmans oversees GEN’s grantmaking and has developed GEN operations in entrepreneurship research and public policy, ecosystem building, and all of its programs directly supporting entrepreneurs and investors.
Ortmans also chairs the Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) now in its 15th year and serves on the boards of dozens of GEN affiliates and entrepreneurial support organizations around the world.
Learn more about Jonathan and his work:
Watch Jonathan’s opening remarks at the 2025 Global Entrepreneurship Congress