Issue link: http://endeavor.uberflip.com/i/1189184
Twenty-two years after Endeavor's founding, we continue to believe that H I G H - I M PAC T E N T R E P R E N E U R S — those with the biggest dreams, who scale up companies creating jobs and opportunity, and who commit to paying it forward — hold the key to sustainable economic growth. As Endeavor itself has scaled — today we support 2,000 Endeavor Entrepreneurs in more than 30 countries as well as eight underserved hubs in the U.S. — our global community of entrepreneurs has become our greatest asset. Endeavor lives the value of Entrepreneur First: Our entrepreneurs continually challenge us to adapt the services we provide to have a truly transformational impact on their journeys as founders, and they open our eyes to new areas of innovation. In markets around the world, Endeavor companies are pioneering technological advances to solve real-life problems at scale, showing us that, no matter the industry, the future will be tech-enabled. Here are just a few ways Endeavor Entrepreneurs selected this past year are changing the game: 1 Mobile payments companies are democratizing access to the economy: UAE's Checkout.com offers the world's most comprehensive cross- border payment solution for digital commerce; Atlanta's BitPay uses blockchain technology to advance digital payment security; Japan- based Omise enables small merchants to reliably accept payments across Southeast Asia, where digital transactions fail at least 50% of the time; Brazil's Acqio provides rural merchants and micro-entrepreneurs first-time access to financial services. 2 Women are pioneering creative solutions to some of society's most pressing issues: Bukky George created HealthPlus, Nigeria's largest drugstore chain as a way to provide a source of safe prescription medicines; Lebanon's Nadine Hachach-Haram founded Proximie to use augmented reality to enable surgical training and intervention worldwide; Knotion, co-founded by Noemí Valencia, transitions schools in Mexico to a digital curriculum; and Zineb Drissi Kaitouni helps over 6 million people across the Maghreb locate a doctor and book an appointment online through her company DabaDoc. 3 Digital platforms are building the future of transportation: SWVL in Egypt, Volt Lines in Turkey, and Urbvan in Mexico are revolutionizing mass transit with app-based LETTER LETTER FROM LINDA