Phyllis Newhouse

EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2023 Judge
CEO, Xtreme Solutions, Inc., USA

Phyllis is building next-generation, sustainability-forward companies.

Serial entrepreneur and investor Phyllis Newhouse is a powerhouse in the tech startup and sustainability industries.

Phyllis cofounded Athena Technology Acquisition Corp., which closed a US$250m IPO in March 2021, making it the only special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) with an African American female CEO. In July 2021, the company announced it was taking concentrated solar power company Heliogen public in a US$2b merger.

On the heels of this landmark success, she founded ShoulderUp Technology Acquisition Corp., a SPAC focused on the technology and cybersecurity space. ShoulderUp went on to close an upsized US$300m IPO in November 2021, solidifying her as a pioneer in cybersecurity.

She is also Founder and CEO of Xtreme Solutions, a cybersecurity firm.

Phyllis is the first woman to win an Entrepreneur Of The Year® US Technology Award. She is a member of the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ North America Class of 2013, and in 2019 she was inducted into the Enterprising Women Hall of Fame.

As an entrepreneur, retired military senior officer and mentor, Phyllis has focused on the value each person brings to a team as well as what they themselves value.