Starting today, the UW will be doing its part to celebrate National Entrepreneurship Week, welcoming speakers to campus who will offer education and support for students wanting to start a career as an entrepreneur.

“The 21st Century will belong to those who can take their ideas and make them happen,” touts the event’s official Web site.

Entrepreneurship Week, which lasts from Feb. 24-March 3, aims at encouraging young people to take an interest in creating and running a business of their own by providing them with the necessary resources to do so.

“It’s all about helping [young people] to see the possibilities, and that they can accomplish things through their own ideas and their own organization,” said Cynthia Chirot, chief executive officer of the Northwest Entrepreneur Network (NWEN).

Chirot explained that NWEN is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping entrepreneurs succeed, which focuses on creating a sense of community among aspiring entrepreneurs.

“It can be a lonely thing to be an entrepreneur,” Chirot said. “You have a lot of obstacles to overcome.”

As of now, NWEN provides training, connections and resources for about 850 members in the Northwest who are trying to start companies of their own.

With one of the best entrepreneurial training programs in the country, the UW will be hosting two days of the week’s events, with seminars on campus today and Thursday.

Today’s seminar series, “From Invention to Start-Up,” will feature speakers James Molocco from Klir Technologies and Sunny Gupta, from iConclude who will cover issues about how to become an entrepreneur and will discuss the importance of revising and adapting business plans to better suit the market and economy.

On Thursday, Rebecca Lovell, from the Alliance of Angels, and Mike Crill from Atlas Accelerator, will share tips on what investors look for and how they decide to invest in new companies.

In addition to the speakers scheduled for this week, the UW Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, through the Business school, are holding a Global Social Entrepreneurship Competition this week.

During this competition, students will have the chance to present their innovative business plans to a panel of judges and compete for a substantial cash prize to be put toward getting their project on its feet.

Reach reporter Brittany Rogers at news@thedaily.washington.edu.