EY US unveils Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2026 Greater Los Angeles Award finalists

Recognizing ambitious leaders who are shaping the future of their industries

Los Angeles, April 21, 2026 – Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced the finalists for the Entrepreneur Of The Year^® 2026 Greater Los Angeles Award. Now in its 41st year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year^® program celebrates the bold leaders who disrupt markets through the world’s most ground-breaking companies, revolutionizing industries and uplifting communities. The program honors entrepreneurs whose innovations drive economic growth and help shape the future of business.

An independent panel of judges selected 30 finalists based on their entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, company growth and lasting impact in building long-term value.

“This year’s finalists are visionary entrepreneurs, revolutionizing diverse industries and making bold impacts across Greater Los Angeles with innovation, community focus and unstoppable drive,” said Bridget Ahern, Entrepreneur Of The Year^® Greater Los Angeles Program Co-Director.

“Selected by an independent panel of judges, these companies are fueling growth, pushing innovation forward and strengthening the Greater Los Angeles business community. We’re excited to celebrate their momentum and success,” said Kim Harrington, Entrepreneur Of The Year^® Greater Los Angeles Program Co-Director.

Entrepreneur Of The Year^® honors many different types of business leaders for their ingenuity, courage and entrepreneurial spirit. The program celebrates original founders who bootstrapped their business from inception or who raised outside capital to grow their company, transformational CEOs who infused innovation into an existing organization to catapult its trajectory, and multigenerational family business leaders who reimagined a legacy business model to strengthen it for the future.

The 2026 Greater Los Angeles finalists are:

• Jason Wenk | Altruist | Culver City
• David Mkhitaryan | Angry Chickz | Sherman Oaks
• Eugene Kang | Archer Meat Snacks | Los Angeles
• Brandon Sim | Astrana Health | Alhambra
• Shelley Reinstein | Autumn Communications | Beverly Hills
• Damon Zumwalt | Contemporary Services Corporation | Northridge
• Michael DeGiorgio | Crexi | Los Angeles
• Vera Quinn | Cydcor | Agoura Hills
• Lukas Czinger and Kevin Czinger | Divergent | Torrance
• Sulekha Ramayya and Sundar Ramayya | EvolveNXT | Torrance
• Brittany Avery and Joel Avery | FashionPass | Gardena
• Chris Hanstad | Frameless Hardware Company | South Gate
• Neha Kumar | Full Glass Wine Co. | Encino
• Joshua Xu | HeyGen | Los Angeles
• Kyle Banahan | Jinx | Los Angeles
• Oliver Mindur | Legendary Foods | Santa Monica
• Melinda Spigel | Melinda Maria | Los Angeles
• Mike Mazzella | Peak Ventures | Venice
• Andrew Lacy | Prenuvo | Los Angeles
• Jay Ackerman | Reveleer | Glendale
• Julissa Prado | Rizos Curls | Studio City
• Nima Jalali | Salt & Stone | West Hollywood
• Sachin Nayyar | Saviynt | El Segundo
• John Keatley and Caleb Morse | Scratch Financial | Pasadena
• Travis Holoway and Rodney Williams | SoLo Funds | Los Angeles
• Paul Wiltshire | Songtradr | Santa Monica
• Shivani Siroya | Tala | Santa Monica
• Meritt Elliott and Emily Current | THE GREAT. | Los Angeles
• Salim Youssefzadeh | WattEV | Long Beach
• Robby Chopra and Garry Chopra | YoungLA | Los Angeles

Learn more about the finalists at ey.com/us/eoy/greaterla.

Regional award winners will be announced on June 11 during a special celebration at The Beverly Hills Hotel. The winners will then be considered by the national independent panel of judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year^® National Awards, which will be presented in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum^®.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year^® Awards include presenting sponsors PNC Bank, Cresa LLC, Marsh USA, SAP and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In Greater Los Angeles, sponsors also include gold sponsors – ADP, Cooley, Vaco, Big Picture and Los Angeles Business Journal – and silver sponsor, Alston & Bird.

About Entrepreneur Of The Year^®

Founded in 1986, Entrepreneur Of The Year^® has celebrated more than 11,000 ambitious visionaries who are leading successful, dynamic businesses in the US, and it has since expanded to nearly 80 countries and territories globally.

The US program consists of 17 regional programs whose panels of independent judges select the regional award winners every June. Those winners compete for national recognition at the Strategic Growth Forum^® in November where national finalists and award winners are announced. The national overall winner represents the US at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year^® competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.

About EY

EY is building a better working world by creating new value for clients, people, society and the planet, while building trust in capital markets.

Enabled by data, AI and advanced technology, EY teams help clients shape the future with confidence and develop answers for the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow.

EY teams work across a full spectrum of services in assurance, consulting, tax, strategy and transactions. Fueled by sector insights, a globally connected, multi-disciplinary network and diverse ecosystem partners, EY teams can provide services in more than 150 countries and territories.

All in to shape the future with confidence.

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