HYDERABAD, India— TiE Global this year honored 12 entrepreneurs and executives from across the world and thanked Bill Gates and Bill Marriott for accepting Honorary Lifetime Achievement awards.
“Entrepreneurship has no boundaries nor a language. We foster and support entrepreneurs and visionaries who build enterprises to solve a billion people’s problems or a dreamer in high school wanting to increase human productivity,” said Praveen Tailam, a member of the Board of Trustee of TiE Global and former [resident TiE Boston. “TiE has brought the corporates to investors to universities to accelerators and the entire startup ecosystem together. TiE Global Entrepreneurship Awards is an appreciation of these individuals from different parts of the world.”
In its inaugural TiE Global Entrepreneurship Awards program, TiE found Bill Gates as the most deserving person on earth, based on their extensive research under the guidance of renowned management professors, to receive Lifetime Achievement Award for a first generation entrepreneur who created a global scale organization which outlives the entrepreneur and is an inspiration to generations, TiE Global said in a statement.
Bill Gates said “Innovation is the key to solve the world’s toughest challenges. But as Paul Allen and I experienced with Microsoft, innovators can’t make it on their own. They need supporters and partners to make sure that their best ideas make it from the lab to the marketplace. What the TiE has been doing for the last 27 years is essential for fostering innovation and creating better working world we all want”.
12 awards under three categories were given away this year at the closing ceremony of TiE Global Summit 2020 virtually hosted by TiE Hyderabad chapter.
Bill Marriott is an exemplary example of how a second-generation entrepreneur who takes the family business to the next orbit on a global scale. His outstanding achievement in making the Marriott as a truly global brand was judged by the Jury as the winner for Lifetime Achievement Award in the Family Business Transformation category, TiE Global said.
TiE Global Awards Jury Chair N R Naryana Murthy, Founder, Infosys Technologies, said, “By celebrating the stellar achievements of these winners, TiE is honoring itself. By making these individuals and organisations as role models, TiE is lighting the path for success for our budding entrepreneurs”.
Other prominent members of the jury included Rich Karlgaard, Publisher of Forbes, Tim Draper, Draper University, Dr.Orna Berry, Chief Scientist, Israel among others.
Mahavir Sharma, Chair, TiE Global Board of Trustees said, “Instituting TiE Global Entrepreneurship Awards program this year is yet another significant step in our mission to foster entrepreneurship globally. I am happy that we are able to recognise the outstanding achievements of some of the really great players in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Bill Gates’s appreciation of TiE’s role in fostering innovation is a great inspiration for us to continue the hardwork.”
Entrepreneurs who make unicorns are the real heroes for the startups. There are different types of achievements in creating unicorns. The winners in this category are; Data Robot, Most Innovative Startup, MailChimp, Bootstrapped to Billions, Vir Biotechnology, Rapid Listing and Indigo Agriculture, Lightning Unicorn.
Stanford University, Google/Alphabet and Singapore Government were adjudged the best university, best corporation and best Government supporting entrepreneurs. Lisa Gevelber, global head of Google for Startups accepted the award on behalf of Google and said investing in entrepreneurship is core to its mission. She said that google committed 375 million this year alone to support small businesses and entrepreneurship among under privileged sections around the world.
While thanking TiE Global for this recognition, Marc Tessier-Levigne, President, Stanfored University, said that at Stanford we believe that fostering the creativity and hard work of entrepreneurs is one of the very best ways to advance practical solutions for real world problems.
Y Combinator is the best Accelerator, Sequoia Capital is the best VC Fund and Tech Coast Angels is best Angel group in the world.
“Entrepreneurial ecosystem is thriving around the world because of the great work being done by these ecosystem players”, said Vish Mishra, General Partner, Clearstone Venture Partners.
Kali Gadiraju, Chair, TiE Global Awards Committee said, “ Entrepreneurship is noble and their hard work makes the world a better place to live. Entrepreneurship only can solve the world’s problems on a sustainable basis. By recognising these great entrepreneurs and the organisations supporting entrepreneurship, TiE is spreading the message of hope and opportunity for budding entrepreneurs everywhere in the world.”
