Applications Open for EY Entrepreneur of the Year: The Most Prestigious Global Entrepreneurial Award is Presented in Croatia

Do you know what is common among the world’s greatest entrepreneurs such as Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, or LinkedIn and Starbucks founders with Croatian entrepreneurs Alan Sumin and Zoran Vučinić from Nanobit or Đuro Horvat from Tehnix? All of the mentioned entrepreneurs have been declared EY Entrepreneurs of the Year in their respective countries over the past twenty years.

The EY Entrepreneur of the Year is the most prestigious global entrepreneurial award that has been awarded worldwide for 30 years, often referred to as the entrepreneurial Oscar. The program is conducted in over 60 countries around the world, with the global finals taking place in Monte Carlo, where all national winners gather each year. Among them is Croatia, where the program was launched three years ago. The application process for the third Croatian edition of the award is currently underway. Applications can be submitted on the program’s website – https://geoy.ey.com/, and are open until October 31. This year, a novelty is that, in addition to personal applications from entrepreneurs, all citizens can participate in the nomination process.

Two years, 58 candidates, 14 finalists, and two winning entrepreneurial stories

The value of this unique global program and the significance of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year have already been recognized by the entire business community, as well as the entrepreneurs themselves in Croatia, in the first two years. In just the first two editions, 58 candidates met the criteria for participation, coming from all over Croatia, each with a unique entrepreneurial and life story. The strength and significance of these candidates for the domestic economy is evidenced by the fact that the combined revenues of the candidate companies in the previous two editions of the program exceed 8.2 billion kuna and that they collectively employ over 10,000 people.

The stories and business successes of each of the registered entrepreneurs have been examined by an independent jury led from the very beginning by Emil Tedeschi, CEO of Atlantic Group. Alongside him, entrepreneurs Nenad Bakić and Saša Cvetojević, EBRD director Vedrana Jelušić Kašić, and EFZG dean Prof. Dr. Sc. Lajoš Žager have participated in selecting finalists and winners from the start. The eminent jury, composed of experienced entrepreneurs with numerous successful projects behind them, as well as individuals from practice and the academic community, confirms the seriousness of this unique global project.

Who will succeed the duo from Nanobit and Đuro Horvat?

It was this jury that declared the winners and the first Croatian EY Entrepreneurs of the Year in the first year to be the co-owners of the Zagreb IT company Nanobit – Alan Sumin and Zoran Vučinić. Thus, they became the first Croatian representatives in Monte Carlo at the global award ceremony. CNN also showed great interest in their entrepreneurial story, hosting Croatian entrepreneurs in one of its most-watched shows.

They also became associate members of the jury in the second Croatian edition and, together with the rest of the jury, declared Đuro Horvat from Tehnix as the new Croatian EY Entrepreneur of the Year. His patents in the eco-industry, entrepreneurial spirit, and life enthusiasm did not go unnoticed by the domestic jury, nor by numerous global entrepreneurs in Monte Carlo, where he represented Croatia and the strength of our entrepreneurship. The interest in the solutions that Tehnix offers in the design, production, servicing of machines, equipment, plants, and technologies that function to protect the environment was also shown by Prince Albert II of Monaco, with whom Đuro Horvat met as part of the program.

Who will be the successor of these domestic entrepreneurs and the next ambassador of Croatian entrepreneurship in the world will be revealed in mid-March next year, when the jury, which this year has also been joined by Đuro Horvat, will present all finalists and the new Croatian EY Entrepreneur of the Year. But before that, the first step is to fill out a personal application or send a proposal for an entrepreneur by October 31, after which the jury will have the opportunity to meet and evaluate this year’s candidates and select the Croatian EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2016.