EY Announces Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2023 Greater Los Angeles Finalists

Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates ambitious entrepreneurs who are building bolder futures

Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced the finalists for the Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2023 Greater Los Angeles Award. Now in its 37th year, Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive business awards for transformative entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who are building a more equitable, sustainable and prosperous world for all.

These 27 entrepreneurs were selected as finalists by an independent panel of judges. The candidates were evaluated based on their demonstration of building long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact, among other core contributions and attributes.

The 2023 Greater Los Angeles finalists are:

John Boiler, Glenn Cole and Evin Shutt | 72andSunny | Playa Vista

Jared Goodner, Sanjit Mahanti and Prashant Samant | Akido | Los Angeles

Paulette Pantoja | Blu Digital Group | Burbank

Jon Elliott | Bluebeam | Pasadena

Matthew Danna | Boulevard | Los Angeles

Brian Ree | Dailylook | Los Angeles

Nathaniel Patena | DrinkPAK | Santa Clarita

Eric Friedrichsen | Emburse | Los Angeles

Ben Eachus | Flowspace | Los Angeles

Jing Gao | Fly by Jing | Los Angeles

Ben Jones | Haus Labs by Lady Gaga | El Segundo

Henry Hernandez | Inter-Con Security | Pasadena

Julia Hunter | Jenni Kayne | Los Angeles

Rolando Pozos | La Amapola | Santa Fe Springs

Sarah Chung Park | Landing International | Los Angeles

Theodore Fong | Million Dollar Baby Co. | Pico Rivera

Srinidhi Vishwanath | OPN Healthcare | Glendale

Candace Nelson and Charles Nelson | Pizzana | Los Angeles

Mark Groden | Skyryse | El Segundo

Kent Yu | T3 Micro | El Segundo

Mauricio Umansky | The Agency | Beverly Hills

Lauren Schulte Wang | The Flex Co. | Venice

Brian Toll and John Terzian | The h.wood Group | West Hollywood

Amy Liu | Tower 28 Beauty | Los Angeles

Ryan Bartlett, Nick Ventura and Matthew Winnick | True Classic | Calabasas

Seema Bansal and Sunny Chadha | Venus et Fleur | Los Angeles

Nicholas Anthony Mathers | Wish You Were Here Group | Los Angeles

“This year’s finalists are an amazing group of ambitious entrepreneurs set on transforming their industries and the Greater Los Angeles community,” said Bridget Ahern, partner at Ernst & Young LLP and Greater Los Angeles Program Co-Director. “They have been carefully selected by our independent panel of judges for their unwavering commitment to their companies, customers and community, and we are thrilled to recognize them.”

Regional award winners will be announced on June 22, 2023, during a special celebration at The Beverly Hills Hotel. The winners will then be considered by the National judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, which will be presented in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum®, one of the nation’s most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies. The Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner will then move on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year® Award in June 2024.

The Entrepreneur Of The Year program has recognized more than 11,000 entrepreneurs throughout the US since its inception in 1986, and it has grown to recognize business leaders across 145 cities in over 60 countries around the world.

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards include presenting sponsors PNC Bank, SAP America, and the Kauffman Foundation. In Greater Los Angeles, regional Platinum sponsors include Cresa, Edelman, Marsh, and Tangram Interiors – and regional Gold sponsors include Big Picture, Cooley, C-Suite Media, and Los Angeles Business Journal.

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. National Overall Award winners go on to compete for the World Entrepreneur Of The Year® title. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.

About EY Private

As Advisors to the ambitious™, EY Private professionals possess the experience and passion to support private businesses and their owners in unlocking the full potential of their ambitions. EY Private teams offer distinct insights born from the long EY history of working with business owners and entrepreneurs. These teams support the full spectrum of private enterprises including private capital managers and investors and the portfolio businesses they fund, business owners, family businesses, family offices and entrepreneurs. Visit ey.com/us/private.

About EY

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