eBay Inc.'s Head of Government Relations for the Americas Richard Nash described how the company is helping to launch the next generation of digital entrepreneurs during a recent speech to the Minority Media Telecommunications Council. Nash illustrated how platforms like eBay Marketplaces and PayPal are breaking down traditional barriers to commerce for many minority-owned businesses and creating a new era of inclusion for small entrepreneurs.

Connecting customers and businesses around the world is the essence of eBay Inc.'s mission, Nash said. Traditional barriers to commerce like language or geography no longer matter thanks to the company's platforms. "The language you speak, or your accent, or for that matter the color of your skin and the heritage of your family just don't matter," Nash told the audience. "You have something to sell or a service to provide and there's a customer out there waiting for you.  At my company, our mission is to put the two of you together."

Highlighting several small business success stories, Nash described how Walter Gonzalez, a Bolivian immigrant who dreamed of owning a business when he moved to the United States eight years ago, has utilized eBay Inc.'s platforms to make his dream come true. With the help of eBay, Mr. Gonzalez built a business that processes 40,000 orders each month and employs 70 people in the United States and Bolivia. Such success stories are becoming commonplace as more and more entrepreneurs are brought into the digital economy thanks to eBay Inc.'s platforms.

"Global commerce might sound like something a huge conglomerate would do," Nash said. "In eBay's world, though, the small entrepreneur can make it happen."

eBay Inc. is working to create a more inclusive economy, Nash said, helping small businesses gain access to not only new markets and customers but also safe, reliable methods for conducting financial transactions. Providing secure and reliable ways to exchange funds is one of the reasons why PayPal can become such a vital resource to the so-called "underbanked" and "unbanked." These people do not have access to established banking services and often find it difficult to use services from traditional financial service providers.

Nash also described how eBay Inc. embraced the movement of Internet commerce to mobile devices. This transition is important because wireless devices are disproportionately used in economically depressed areas around the world to access the Internet. Bringing these communities into the digital economy means more opportunities for both businesses and consumers to connect.

Whether it is connecting buyers and sellers around the world or providing financial services to the "underbanked" and "unbanked," eBay Inc. is committed to creating opportunities and building a more inclusive economy.