Global Entrepreneurship Monitor - GEM

What Global Entrepreneurship Monitor - GEM does

Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) is the world's longest-running comparative study of entrepreneurship, founded in 1999 as a joint research project between Babson College and London Business School. Its legal entity, the Global Entrepreneurship Research Association (GERA), is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales, headquartered in London. GEM operates as a research consortium of 50+ national teams hosted at academic institutions worldwide; each national team conducts primary survey-based research using two harmonized instruments: the Adult Population Survey (APS), which collects data directly from individuals on entrepreneurial activity and attitudes, and the National Expert Survey (NES), which assesses 9-13 national entrepreneurial framework conditions. The resulting data feeds an annual Global Report, special topic reports (notably the Women's Entrepreneurship Report and the COVID-19 Impact Report), Economy Profiles, a Research Papers database, and the National Entrepreneurship Context Index (NECI). In the 2025/2026 cycle, GEM covered 53 economies representing approximately 43% of global population and 57% of global GDP, with 160,000+ interviews conducted.

Name

Global Entrepreneurship Monitor - GEM

Legal name

Global Entrepreneurship Research Association

Website

https://gemconsortium.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Founded in 1999, the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) is a London-based research consortium that runs the world's longest-running comparative study of entrepreneurship, surveying 160,000+ individuals across 53 economies annually to inform academics, policymakers, and sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Research & Data

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (541)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Research, Statistics & Policy Advisory (BPADAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Monitoring, Evaluation, Research & Learning (MERL) (BPADAEAB)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship research
• Global market research
• Entrepreneurship data analytics
• Policy research reports
• Survey-based research

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. National Sponsorship: National Teams are responsible for raising funding for GEM activities in their country from multiple sources including academic institutions, local and national governments, foundations, aid agencies and banks. Each National Team contributes resources to GEM in kind and/or in cash.
2. Report Sponsorship: Global corporations, nonprofits and academic institutions sponsor different GEM Reports. Recent sponsors include Babson College, Cartier Women's Initiative, Fribourg School of Management in Switzerland, Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, Smith College, Shopify, UAE Ministry of Economy, and Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi).
3. Custom Research & Tools: GEM offers customized research products and tools including Special Topic Reports and the Ecosystem Quality Index for city and regional assessment, based on sponsors' particular interests.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) is a research consortium that conducts annual survey-based studies on entrepreneurial activity across 50+ economies. Its core offering comprises primary data collection through the Adult Population Survey (APS) and National Expert Survey (NES), which feed into annual global reports, special topic reports (e.g., Women's Entrepreneurship, COVID-19 Impact), country-level economy profiles, and analytical frameworks such as the National Entrepreneurship Context Index (NECI) and Ecosystem Quality Index (ESI).

Product overview

Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) operates as a research consortium rather than a software product company. Its core offering consists of annual and special topic research reports (Global Report, Women's Entrepreneurship Report, COVID-19 Impact Report) supported by primary data collection through the Adult Population Survey (APS) and National Expert Survey (NES). These feeds into Economy Profiles for individual countries and a searchable Research Papers database. GEM also provides the National Entrepreneurship Context Index (NECI) as an analytical framework for benchmarking entrepreneurial ecosystems. The portfolio is entirely research and data-driven—no software-as-a-service platform, API, or integrated tools are offered.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GEM Global Report Annual flagship publication providing the world's most comprehensive study of entrepreneurship. Tracks entrepreneurial activity across participating economies through primary survey data collection from individuals, offering analysis of startup rates, motivations, ambitions, and national framework conditions.
• GEM Women's Entrepreneurship Report Annual special topic report focusing on gender dynamics in entrepreneurship. Examines barriers women face in starting and scaling businesses, including financing gaps, family responsibilities, sector distribution, and AI adoption disparities.
• GEM COVID-19 Impact Report Policy impact report examining how the COVID-19 pandemic affected entrepreneurs globally. Features economy snapshots from 54 national teams and presents the CRISP framework (Clear communication, Resilience, Innovation, Simplification, Preparation) for policy responses.
• Economy Profiles Individual country data pages providing detailed entrepreneurship metrics, National Entrepreneurship Context Index (NECI) scores, framework condition assessments, and policy analysis for each participating economy.
• National Reports Country-specific reports produced by GEM National Teams, providing in-depth analysis of entrepreneurial activity, ecosystem conditions, and policy recommendations tailored to each economy.
• Research Papers Database Searchable repository of academic research papers authored using GEM data, covering topics including gender, innovation, financing, education, and regional entrepreneurship studies.
• National Entrepreneurship Context Index (NECI) Composite index ranking economies based on 13 entrepreneurial framework conditions. Evaluates ease of starting businesses, government policies, access to finance, and infrastructure quality.
• Ecosystem Quality Index (ESI) Diagnostic tool used to assess city and regional readiness for entrepreneurship, available for collaboration with GEM.

Quantifiable outcome

• GEM data covers approximately 43% of global population and 57% of global GDP across 53 participating economies
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and founding.

• World Economic ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022WEF collaborates with GEM on reports and events. GEM research has been featured in WEF publications including Unleashing the power of Europe's women entrepreneurs and The Arab World Competitiveness Report.
• International Labor OrganizationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020ILO has collaborated with GEM on multiple reports including Youth Aspirations and the Future of Work, Overcoming gender segregation, and reports on enabling environment for sustainable enterprises.
• United NationscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020GEM data has been featured in UN World Youth Report and UN Development Programme reports on Youth Entrepreneurship in Asia and the Pacific. UN ESCWA has used GEM data for reports on Qatar and Arab region entrepreneurship.
• OECDcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019OECD has used GEM data in multiple publications including The Missing Entrepreneurs 2019 Report, SME and Entrepreneurship Policy briefs, and SME and Entrepreneurship Outlook 2019.
• World Trade OrganizationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018WTO has incorporated GEM data in reports on Empowering Youth for Sustainable Trade and Aid for Trade in Asia and the Pacific.
• Babson CollegefoundingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBabson College is one of the two founding institutions of GEM (alongside London Business School). As a founding institution, Babson maintains a permanent seat on the GERA Board. Babson College is also a global sponsor of GEM research.
• London Business SchoolfoundingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLondon Business School is the second founding institution of GEM (alongside Babson College). The legal entity GERA is headquartered at London Business School. As a founding institution, London Business School maintains a permanent seat on the GERA Board.
• Cartier Women's InitiativecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCartier Women's Initiative is a sponsor of the GEM Women's Entrepreneurship Report, providing support for research on women entrepreneurs globally.
• Fribourg School of Management (Switzerland)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool of Management in Fribourg, Switzerland is a co-sponsor of the GEM Women's Entrepreneurship Report alongside Cartier Women's Initiative.
• Frank & Eileen Center for Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership at Babson CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Frank & Eileen Center for Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership at Babson College is a sponsor of the GEM Women's Entrepreneurship Report.
• World BankcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGEM data is featured in the World Bank Data Catalog and GEM has collaborated on reports with World Bank, providing entrepreneurship indicators for their analyses.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/globalentrepreneurshipmonitor
• Xx.com/gemnow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/global-entrepreneurship-monitor
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC0xNjsuYo7H0YjJONM3NXPQ

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Global Entrepreneurship Monitor - GEM