When Linda Rottenberg co-founded Endeavor, a nonprofit group that provides support for entrepreneurs, she had ambitions of transforming the private sector in emerging markets, identifying businesses that would employ thousands of workers and even putting an entirely new word in the dictionaries and minds of developing countries. Rottenberg sported a stylish pink suit and contagious smile as she talked to students and faculty at Lemberg Academic Center Monday, March 23 about handling businesses in times of financial crisis, global development and how the private sector can make a social impact. Additionally, Rottenberg described what inspired her to help put the word entrepreneur on the radar of developing countries.

"It all started when I was riding in the back of a taxi in Buenos Aires, [Argentina years ago]," said Rottenberg, in a confident voice that reflected her magnetic presence. "I struck up a conversation with the cab driver, who told me he had an engineering degree. I asked him, 'Why are you driving a cab? Shouldn't you be an entrepreneur?'"

Rottenberg continued with a focused tone that reflected involvement in her story and explained that the cab driver had no idea what the word entrepreneur meant.

"I said, 'An entrepreneur ... you know, someone who starts a business.' He replied, 'Oh, you mean an empresario,' meaning the Spanish word for 'big businessman' which is associated with corruption and greed," Rottenberg said.

Rottenberg explained that in Argentina, as well as in countries such as Brazil, Turkey and Egypt, there was no word equivalent to the English term "entrepreneur."

"It was my simple discovery of this fact that led me down the path ... to establish a global framework for those emerging market entrepreneurs with high-gross, innovative businesses," Rottenberg said.

Rottenberg, recently named one of "America's Best Leaders," by US News & World Report, came to Brandeis to accept the 2009 Asper Award for Global Entrepreneurship presented by the International Business School. The Asper Award honors business leaders who have succeeded in markets through creative business strategies, created global connections across cultural and geographic borders and demonstrated commendable corporate citizenship.

"The Asper Award for Global Entrepreneurship at Brandeis IBS was established by Leonard J. Asper '86, president of Canada's largest media conglomerate, to celebrate and honor outstanding global entrepreneurs," said Prof. Benjamin Gomes-Casseres (IBS), director of the MBA program and director of the Asper Center in an e-mail to the Justice. "Ms. Rottenberg certainly fits this description: Her vision, leadership and tenacity not only started a successful global enterprise, but also encouraged other entrepreneurs to start new businesses in their home countries. And, on top of this, her organization targets entrepreneurs who will have a positive social impact on their societies."

Rottenberg, 40, attended Harvard University as an undergraduate and went to Yale Law School before beginning work with Ashoka, a nonprofit group that provides a network of support for idealistic entrepreneurs working toward social change. However, Rottenberg felt that while it was important to alleviate poverty through social change, it was also important to create jobs and provide the intense strategic and management support necessary for entrepreneurial growth. With this idea in mind, Rottenberg co-founded Endeavor in 1997.

Rottenberg, Endeavor's current CEO, explained that in developing countries the young entrepreneur had nowhere to go because large corporations and wealthy families dominated the market.

"There was nowhere for him to seek advice or financing. There were no established mentor networks. There were no self-made role models. In fact, there wasn't even a word for what they were doing," Rottenberg said emphatically.

"Our stated purpose was to establish high-impact entrepreneurship as the leading and most widely accepted force in global economic development. Our unstated purpose was to put the word entrepreneur in every Spanish and Portugese dictionary and eventually in every Arabic one, too," Rottenberg joked.

In 1998, Rottenberg brought Endeavor to Argentina and Chile with its co-founder, Peter Kellner. However, just as Endeavor began its journey in the South American private sector, the world economy was hit hard by the Asian financial crisis as the Thai Baht collapsed, creating fear of a worldwide economic meltdown.

"I was told it was destined to fail. I wanted to prove an emerging market crisis was the best time to launch Endeavor. ... I knew during a crisis is when the best entrepreneurs always emerge. ... [It is an] opportunity to beat out competitors and hire better workers," Rottenberg said.

Rottenberg's perseverance in times of crisis paid off, and by 2005 Argentina was ranked 12th in the world in entrepreneurial activity by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. Rottenberg had confidence in Endeavor's unique model, and Endeavor expanded to Brazil in 2000. Over the next 10 years, Endeavor screened nearly 18,000 companies in 11 countries, including Turkey, South Africa, India, Colombia, Egypt and Mexico.

Additionally, more than 330 entrepreneurs have been selected for support, creating about 90,000 jobs that generally pay at least 10 times the minimum wage. Endeavor supported entrepreneurs made $2.5 billion in revenue in 2007.

Rottenberg also explained that when Endeavor goes into countries, it does not search for just any entrepreneur but rather a high-impact entrepreneur.

When asked by a member of the audience what differentiates an entrepreneur from a high-impact entrepreneur, Rottenberg responded, "[A high-impact entrepreneur is] someone with big ideas and ambitious plans with the potential to generate tons of jobs and millions of dollars in revenue in wages [as well as] a story that inspires others."

Rottenberg reflected on her success by way of making entrepreneurship the norm in developing countries. The new word emprendedor, which means "entrepreneur" in Spanish, has recently been installed in the lexicon of several Latin American countries.

"Today throughout Latin America you can hear about young people speaking about becoming an emprendedor," Rottenberg said.

Throughout the presentation, Rottenberg gave off an infectious sense of optimism. She ended her presentation on an idealistic note and with a piece of advice to the students in the audience.

"Now, for those of you who are students in the room, I encourage you to look around and start asking questions: Where is the need? The gap? What's currently being overlooked by both government and the private sector? Where is the opportunity to bridge the gap? Today, looking back on my own entrepreneurial 'aha' moment riding in that cab in Buenos Aires, . I have to smile.