SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) today announced that Audien Hearing co-founder, Ishan Patel, was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2024 Pacific Southwest Award finalist. Now in its 38th year, Entrepreneur Of The Year is the preeminent competitive business award for audacious leaders who disrupt markets, revolutionize sectors, and have a transformational impact on lives. Over the past four decades, the program has recognized the daring entrepreneurs with big ideas and bold actions that reshape our world.
Patel was selected as a finalist 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.
“I am incredibly honored to be named an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2024 Pacific Southwest Award finalist by Ernst & Young,” said Ishan Patel, co-founder of Audien Hearing. “This recognition reflects our unique approach and unwavering commitment to democratizing hearing accessibility. At Audien, we will always run our company with an entrepreneurial mindset, driving innovation and challenging the status quo to break down barriers.” He adds, “Audien isn’t just about affordable technology. We give a grandmother the ability to hear her grandchildren laugh again, or a husband the ability to reconnect with his wife after years of drifting apart. Our company strives to give people their lives back and that’s why Audien exists.”
Audien Hearing stands at the forefront of providing hearing solutions for all, pioneering innovative solutions that empower individuals of all backgrounds to engage fully in the world of sound. Through their strategic and highly approachable sales channels on platforms like Walmart and Amazon, Audien Hearing ensures their groundbreaking hearing technology reaches a broad audience, transcending barriers of geography and economic status. By leveraging these platforms, Audien Hearing makes its products more available, offering affordable and high-quality hearing aids to those who might otherwise struggle to afford or obtain traditional hearing solutions. In doing so, Audien Hearing not only transforms the lives of individuals with hearing impairments but also champions inclusivity, fostering a society where everyone can participate wholly in conversations and experiences.
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 fortify it for the future.
Regional award winners will be announced on June 7th during a special celebration and will become lifetime members of an esteemed community of Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni from around the world. 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.
In addition to Entrepreneur Of The Year, EY US supports other entrepreneurs through the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ program and the EY Entrepreneurs Access Network to help connect women founders and Black and Hispanic/Latino entrepreneurs, respectively, with the resources, network, and access needed to unlock their full potential.
Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards include presenting sponsors PNC Bank, Cresa, Marsh USA, SAP, and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In the Pacific Southwest, sponsors also include platinum sponsors: Marsh McLennan Agency and Vaco; gold sponsors: Cooley (San Diego market) and Stradling (Orange County market) and silver sponsors: Big Picture and DLA Piper (Arizona market).
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 overall National winner represents the US at the World Entrepreneur Of The Year® competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.
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