This year we asked the Black Enterprise community all over the nation to nominate movers and shakers within the world of technology for a Small Business Award. And this year’s Techpreneur of the Year nominees are building fast-growing companies that are delivering groundbreaking technology products or are disrupting the digital industry. On Friday, June 8, 2018, three black technology entrepreneurs will be recognized at the Entrepreneurs Summit
awards luncheon and the four winners will be announced at a special awards dinner. So, here are the nominees!Nominees for “Techpreneur of the Year”
Bruce Hacker, INTER-OP.NET
(Credit: Bruce Hacker)INTER-OP.NET Inc., a technology firm that specializes in IT support and professional support services.
What does it mean for you to be nominated for a BLACK ENTERPRISE Techpreneur of the Year Award?
It is an honor to be nominated for the Black Enterprise Small Business Award. To be nominated by an organization with the reputation of Black Enterprise is in itself a form of validation as well as inspiration for our entire team.
What would winning the award mean to you?
It would be a tremendous honor to be selected as the 2018 winner of the Black Enterprise Small Business Award. To be selected from such a strong field of nominees would be a humbling experience. I would hope that my story and journey could be an inspiration to other small business owners.
What are you looking forward to most at the Entrepreneurs Summit as a business owner?
I am looking forward to having the opportunity to meet with other small business owners and participating in a number of the sessions that will be held.
Patrick Hill, A Cultivated Mindset
(Credit: Patrick Hill)A Cultivated Mindset (ACM) focuses on bringing an end to difficulties regarding enterprise creation and businesses generally by using innovative technological applications. ACM has been a design and development marketing company that produces purpose driven websites & brands backed by full marketing support to give businesses the ability and confidence to take ownership of their marketing strategies to generate clear results.
What does it mean for you to be nominated for the BLACK ENTERPRISE Techpreneur of the Year Award?
Being nominated for a Black Enterprise Small Business Award means a lot to A Cultivated Mindset and me. It gives me great pride not only to be appreciated by the business ecosystem at large but our community as African American millenniums revive and renew the golden age of black entrepreneurship.
What would winning the award mean to you?
A Cultivated Mindset winning the award would represent everything we stand for; “We are here to design a better future.” Being located and building a business in Charlotte would help deliver a message to Charlotteans, that our depth of business, technology, and creative spirit runs deep.
What are you looking forward to most at the Entrepreneurs Summit?
We are looking to gain insight on the future landscape of black business, network with other liked minded companies, and even partner with startups to enterprise companies. We are looking forward to it and very excited to be a part of this year’s Entrepreneurs Summit.
George Egbuonu, FlatPyramid
(Credit: George Egbuonu)FlatPyramid is a crowdsourced marketplace for the sale of 3-D model files that are used in several 3-D applications across a wide range of industries. Such as advertising and marketing, animation, film, TV and media, architecture and design, product development, 3-D printing, Augmented Reality (AR), and Virtual Reality (VR).
What does it mean for you to be nominated for a BLACK ENTERPRISE Techpreneur of the Year Award?
It means a lot to be recognized for all the hard work my team and I have put in over several years.
What would winning the award mean to you?
It will be great for the team and for moral. Winning is what we all love to do.
What are you looking forward to most at the Entrepreneurs Summit?
Networking and meeting other like-minded and successful business owners
Click here to see all of the 2018 Small Business Award nominees.