Late Career Entrepreneurship Award

The Late Career Entrepreneurship Award honors alumni business entrepreneurs who have established success in furthering the Coles College of Business's pioneering spirit. This award recognizes and celebrates innovative and creative alumni entrepreneurs who demonstrate sustained commercial success, growth, and community impact with both quantitative and qualitative results. Perhaps most importantly, the nominee has achieved outstanding entrepreneurial success while upholding the highest standards of business practice.

Nomination Criteria for Alumni Eligible for this Award:

  • Nominees have founded or co-founded one or more commercially viable companies with sustained success
  • Nominees can demonstrate commercial success, business growth, and tangible achievements of their company
  • Nominees are motivated self-starters who have demonstrated exceptional drive and leadership and have taken bold decisions to make their company a success
  • Nominees have received external recognition and/or validation from their peers and/or the industry 
  • Nominees are inspiring role models, mentors, or champions in their industry
  • Nominees are making a positive contribution to their community, or impact on society through their company, voluntary, or charitable activities

Nomination Requirements (maximum of two pages):

  1. Biography or resume of the nominee
  2. Provide information about the nominee’s company or companies including relevant highlights, tangible achievements, and/or key milestones (Could include fundraising milestones, number of employees, turnover, accolades etc.)
  3. Outline the company’s high value grants and/or significant funding/investments
  4. Summarize the nominee’s key entrepreneurial achievements and explain how they have demonstrated exceptional drive and leadership to make their company or companies a success (This could include examples of when they have taken a creative and innovative approach and the outcome.)
  5. Share any external, industry, and/or other public recognition in the form of awards, honors, accolades, etc. for the individual and/or the business(es)
  6. Please provide examples that demonstrate how the nominee is making a positive contribution to their community, or having an impact on society through their company, voluntary, or charitable activities (This could include inspiring others as a role model, mentoring, service to the College, etc.)

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