EY builds on three decades of honoring unstoppable entrepreneurs in the Northern California Region
Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) is pleased to announce the winners of the Entrepreneur Of The Year® Northern California Award. Entrepreneur Of The Year® is one of the preeminent competitive business awards for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies. This group of unstoppable entrepreneurial leaders transforming our world was selected by an independent judging panel made up of previous award winners, leading CEOs, investors and other regional business leaders. Northern California award winners were unveiled during the program’s first-ever virtual awards gala, hosted by Deborah Norville, anchor of Inside Edition, on October 8, 2020.
“The Northern California region is one of the most competitive in the country for entrepreneurial leadership and the caliber of this year’s group of entrepreneurs is truly exemplary,” said Chad Bowar, Entrepreneur Of The Year Northern California Program Co-Director. “We at EY are thrilled to be able to celebrate and amplify the unique stories of our 2020 winners and all the ways they have impacted their communities, employees, and the world at large.”
The winners for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 Northern California Award are:
- Eyal Lifshitz, CEO and Co-Founder | BlueVine
- Nick Mehta, CEO | Gainsight
- Garrett Lord, CEO | Handshake
- Jason Gardner, CEO | Marqeta
- Erica Rogers, President and CEO | Silk Road Medical, Inc.
- Kat Nouri, Founder | Stasher, Inc.
Nominees were evaluated based on six criteria, including overcoming adversity; financial performance; societal impact and commitment to building a values-based company; innovation; and talent management.
Since its launch, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries throughout the world.
Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2020 National Awards, to be announced Thursday, November 19, during a virtual awards gala. The awards are the culminating event of this year’s virtual Strategic Growth Forum®, the nation’s most prestigious gathering of high-growth, market-leading companies. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in June 2021.
Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners become lifetime members of a global, multi-industry community of entrepreneurs, with exclusive, ongoing access to the experience, insight and wisdom of program alumni and other ecosystem members in over 60 countries — all supported by vast EY resources. Since 1986, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program has recognized more than 10,000 US executives.
Northern California Region Focus
Each year, EY US showcases successful entrepreneurs from 20 regional competitions across the United States. In 2019, 6 entrepreneurs leading companies from Northern California were selected as Entrepreneur Of The Year Award winners. Past award winners in Northern California include Dr Joe DeSimone, Carbon, Kara Goldin James Park, FitBit, Jeff Weiner & Reid Hoffman, Tom Siebel, C3.ai.
For information on the Entrepreneur Of The Year Northern California program, please visit ey.com/us/eoy/norcal. Join the conversation on social media using #EOYUS and #EOYNORCAL.
Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are nationally sponsored by SAP America and the Kauffman Foundation.
In Northern California, sponsors also include Woodruff Sawyer and Chatham Financial.
About Entrepreneur Of The Year®
Entrepreneur Of The Year® is the world’s most prestigious business awards program for unstoppable entrepreneurs. These visionary leaders deliver innovation, growth and prosperity that transform our world. The program engages entrepreneurs with insights and experiences that foster growth. It connects them with their peers to strengthen entrepreneurship around the world. Entrepreneur Of The Year is the first and only truly global awards program of its kind. It celebrates entrepreneurs through regional and national awards programs in more than 145 cities in over 60 countries. Winners go on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ title. ey.com/us/eoy
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