2020 Virtual Endeavor Gala Convenes Worldwide Network to Celebrate the Power of High-Impact Entrepreneurship Amidst Challenging Year

The 2020 Virtual Endeavor Gala, held November 19, 2020 via livestream, convened nearly 500 Endeavor network members and supporters in 28 countries to celebrate the transformative power of high-impact entrepreneurship and raise critical funds to fuel Endeavor’s mission. 

In a year in which travel became unfeasible, and Zoom meetings ubiquitous, the Virtual Gala aimed to bring international attendees together and transport them out of their living rooms to experience the Endeavor network around the world  — from a cocktail hour led by a guest mixologist, to a montage of messages from Endeavor Entrepreneurs in iconic settings around the world, to Broadway medley performed by principals from hit shows playing at the time of the shutdown.

Kicking off the program, Endeavor Co-founder and CEO Linda Rottenberg highlighted the powerful ways that Endeavor’s team, and Endeavor Entrepreneurs, had stepped up during an incredibly challenging year. 

“We reinvented every aspect of our work: from local scale-up programs, to global Outlier events to the Endeavor Catalyst LP meeting — even our annual Gala dinner,” Rottenberg said. “I have always said, ‘When economies turn down, entrepreneurs turn up.’ Now we can say, ‘When economies turn down, ENDEAVOR turns up!’”

Endeavor’s mission to lead the global high-impact entrepreneurship movement has never been more urgent, Rottenberg expressed, a message echoed by guest speakers Eric Schmidt, The Edge, Reid Hoffman, who each shared their vision for the important role entrepreneurs have to play in innovating to solve today’s challenges, and rebuilding a better tomorrow, and Nada Debs, a Lebanese entrepreneur who reflected on restarting after the explosion in Beirut.

During the program, Endeavor also presented three entrepreneurs with The Lindas, an award honoring extraordinary Endeavor Entrepreneurs who most embody the Endeavor spirit of dreaming crazy, scaling up, and paying it forward. This year’s awards were presented to Hande Cilingir (Insider, Turkey), Juan de Antonio (Cabify, Spain), and Adolfo Babatz (Clip, Mexico), by Chairman of the Endeavor Global Board Edgar Bronfman Jr., and 2019 Lindas Winners Guibert Englebienne and Veronica Pascual Boe. Truly an award “of, by, and for entrepreneurs,” this year’s award sculptures were crafted specially by Endeavor Entrepreneur Kenneth Cobonpue of The Philippines to represent the values core to Endeavor’s network. 

If you didn’t get a chance to make a donation and would like to give a gift in the spirit of the Endeavor pay-it-forward value, or in honor of a Lindas winner, or you may do so at endeavorgala.org.