Does your company deserve recognition as one of Oregon’s best and brightest? Do you have a game-changing product or service that more people should know about? Are you an entrepreneur with a track record of outstanding achievement?
On Thursday, October 22, 2015, over 600 entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders will gather to celebrate our state’s best and brightest young companies, innovations, and entrepreneurs. You, your company, or your product could be one of them!
Learn more about nominating a:
Nominate a Company
We honor exceptional companies in three categories – launch stage, development stage, and growth stage.
Nominations are now closed for all company categories.
Launch Stage
Companies in the Launch Stage category may be in the process of setting up, developing and testing the products, processes, or services they intend to market or are currently marketing. Projected revenues for the current calendar year from sales of products or services are in the range of $0-0.5 million and the amount of invested capital in these companies is less than $5 million. |
Development Stage
Development Stage companies are in the early stages of fully launching their businesses on the market. They are in the process of establishing their production, marketing, sales, distribution and administrative functions and may be hiring employees or contractors to support their operations. These companies have recognized revenues at a minimum of $0.5 million in the previous calendar year. They also have projected revenues for the current year in the range of $0.5-$10 million and should either show a historical trend toward positive cash flow or have a credible plan to reach that objective in the near- to mid term. |
Growth Stage
Growth Stage companies have a fully-marketable product or service, have earned a degree of market acceptance and have acquired a critical mass of customers. Their efforts are aimed not at remaining viable but at increasing market share, moving into new markets, adapting products or services to new uses and customers or increasing efficiency and cash flow. These companies have recognized revenues at a minimum of $10 million in the previous calendar year. They also have projected revenues for the current year in excess of $10 million and, if not profitable, are generating cash flow and are financially self-sustaining. |
Nominate an Entrepreneur or Founding Team
We honor entrepreneurs or founding teams across all industries with our annual Entrepreneurial Achievement Award. Our Wyatt Starnes Memorial Award honors our region’s most promising early-stage tech entrepreneur.
Wyatt Starnes Memorial Award
William Wyatt Starnes, founder and CEO of SignaCert and cofounder of Tripwire Inc., died on May 10, 2014 at age 59. The Wyatt Starnes Memorial Award honors early-stage tech entrepreneurs in Oregon or Southwest Washington who will carry on Wyatt’s legacy. To be considered, you must embody Wyatt’s distinguishing qualities — demonstrating enthusiasm, willingness to work hard toward a goal, fearlessness when it comes to taking big risks, and commitment to changing the world for the better.Nominations are now closed |
Entrepreneurial Achievement Award
Individuals or founding teams are considered eligible for the Award for Entrepreneurial Achievement if they found and/or operate a new for-profit enterprise or venture, assuming material risk and personal accountability for the venture’s survival. Individual nominees do not have to have been on the founding team, but do need to have assumed significant risk to their career and/or personal assets. This award is not meant to honor a long career of achievement, but rather to recognize outstanding achievement in the last 18 months. You may nominate yourself or your founding team, or make a nomination on a person or team’s behalf.Nominations are now closed |
Nominate a Product or Service
Our Game Changer Award honors an innovative new product or service that has great potential to disrupt its industry.
Game Changer Award
Our Game Changer Award is not limited to any specific industry, but is only open to products/services of companies with under $5 million in revenue. The Award will honor a specific product or service, not a company as a whole. If you would like to nominate a product or service that’s not your own, you will need to work with the company that offers it to fill out this nomination form.Nominations are now closed |