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ICSB Sunday Times Editor’s note:
Pour yourself a strong coffee, because this week’s ICSB Sunday Times takes you straight to Cairo, where the agenda for ICSB Global 2025 has just been unveiled. Under the theme “Innovation Unleashed”, we highlight how MSMEs remain the backbone of resilience and inclusive growth as ICSB marks 70 years of impact. We revisit Egypt’s visionary SEKEM model, explore new research on uncertainty and entrepreneurial decision-making, and spotlight StartupBlink’s 2025 ranking of the best global cities for startups. We also debut ICSB’s brand-new AI Certificate: Master the ABC of AI for Business Success—equipping entrepreneurs with the tools to thrive in today’s digital economy. Add in bold features on sustainable farming, the myth of the “High-High-High,” and a fresh rethinking of innovation itself, and you have a lineup that celebrates both history and the future of entrepreneurship..
— Dr. Ayman ElTarabishy
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ICSB Global 2025: Innovation Unleashed in the Heart of Cairo – Agenda Posted.
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The International Council for Small Business (ICSB) is set to make history with its 2025 World Congress in Cairo, Egypt, from November 24-28, 2025. Hosted at the prestigious American University in Cairo, this milestone event marks seven decades of ICSB’s unwavering commitment to advancing entrepreneurship and small business development worldwide. Under the inspiring theme “Innovation Unleashed,” the congress will explore how micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) continue to serve as the backbone of global economic resilience, innovation, and inclusive growth. This theme couldn’t be more timely, as businesses worldwide navigate an era of unprecedented technological transformation and economic challenges.
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Editor’s Pick
Egypt’s Oasis of Tomorrow: Where Ancient Wisdom
Meets Modern Sustainability
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In 2008, researchers Ayman ElTarabishy and Marshall Sashkin published a comprehensive analysis of SEKEM in MIT Technology Review, identifying it as a rare example of successful “macro-level social entrepreneurship.” They highlighted three critical elements that made SEKEM’s founder, Ibrahim Abouleish, successful where others had failed: genuine innovation, exceptional entrepreneurial character, and a deep understanding of social context. The researchers noted that SEKEM wasn’t simply an organic farm; it was “a comprehensive development initiative” that integrated multiple social elements, including business innovation, education, healthcare, and cultural preservation. What impressed them most was Abouleish’s pragmatic approach: rather than following a rigid plan, he “lit many fires” with interconnected efforts that eventually produced transformational change across Egyptian agriculture.
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CUTTING EDGE RESEARCH
Uncertainty and decision making in small firms
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Entrepreneurs adjust their use of effectuation depending on the level of uncertainty: they reduce it at moderate uncertainty to protect gains but increase it at extreme uncertainty to survive. This creates a U-shaped relationship between uncertainty and effectuation. However, firms with strong entrepreneurial orientation remain steadier, relying on their strategic posture rather than reacting to uncertainty. (read more)
By: Birton Cowden, Masoud Karami, Jintong Tang, Wenping Ye & Samuel Adomako
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GLOBAL INSIGHTS
Iman Mostafa Kamel abandoned her corporate career at an international organization to revolutionize Egypt’s agriculture sector, proving that the most transformative innovation.
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Hazel Farm represents a bold departure from conventional farming methods. While Egypt’s fertile Nile Delta has long been the region’s breadbasket, modern challenges, including soil degradation, water scarcity, and chemical dependency, have prompted forward-thinking farmers to seek alternatives. (read more)
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Global Research Lens
The Best Cities for Startups & Entrepreneurs in the World 2025
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Successful startups and unicorns often thrive in top ecosystems that provide access to investors, talent, suppliers, and knowledge. Being in the right ecosystem matters, and entrepreneurs in weaker ones must decide whether to relocate or take the lead in improving it. This article highlights the best global cities for startups based on StartupBlink’s 2025 Global Startup Ecosystem Index, covering 1,400 cities and 110 countries. Read More
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ICSB Latest Certificate:
Master the ABC of AI for Business Success
starting September 29, 2025
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In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, artificial intelligence isn’t just for tech giants anymore. Small and medium enterprises worldwide are leveraging AI tools to streamline operations, boost productivity, and compete on a global scale – often with teams smaller than ever imagined. Whether you’re a seasoned entrepreneur or just starting your business journey, this comprehensive 3-session program will guide you through the essential knowledge, practical skills, and strategic insights needed to harness AI’s power for your MSME. Join fellow business leaders as we demystify AI and transform it from an intimidating buzzword into your most significant competitive advantage. Read More
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The Myth of the High-High-High: Digitize, Attract Gen-Z, and Go-Green.
Small businesses, which employ half the world’s workers, are caught in a peculiar bind: they’re expected to digitize, go green, and attract Generation Z talent, all while lacking the resources to do any of it particularly well. The cruel irony is that these companies could be perfect laboratories for sustainable innovation. Yet, they’re often too busy surviving to transform themselves into the humane, purpose-driven enterprises that everyone, including their potential employees, seems to want them to become. (read more)
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The Innovation Approach: Overcoming the Limitations of Design Thinking and the Lean Startup
by: David C. Roach
Innovation and entrepreneurship have always had a strong and synergistic relationship. While Design Thinking and the Lean Startup have emerged as popular methodologies for managing innovation and entrepreneurial endeavours, the time is ripe for a rethinking of the innovation approach by going back to core principles. (Read More)
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ICSB 70th Anniversary – From ICSB History Book
1- The first U.S. affiliate was renamed. After ICSB’s international expansion began, the original U.S. organization was turned into an affiliate in 1981 and renamed USASBE (United States Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship), with George Hills serving as its first president while also holding the ICSB presidency
2- UN Headquarters milestone: At the 61st ICSB World Conference in 2016, ICSB convened a Ministerial Roundtable at the United Nations Headquarters with ministers from seven countries, directly linking SMEs to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, a breakthrough in ICSB’s long-standing effort to make the UN focus on MSMEs.
3- When ICSB created the European affiliate in 1988, we called it ECSB. It quickly gained prominence by launching the RENT (Research in Entrepreneurship) conference series. RENT has since become one of the most respected annual academic entrepreneurship research conferences in Europe and beyond, now running for more than 30 years
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We are devoted to the interests and advancement of small business globally
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