LOUISVILLE, KY / INDIANAPOLIS, IN / CINCINNATI, OH (April 27, 2020) – 14 entrepreneurs from eight companies gathered virtually on Thursday, April 23 to kick off the 2020 Endeavor Scale Up program. The program, whose participants from the Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio region were announced in March, supports high-potential entrepreneurs to identify business needs and goals, pursue scaling to the next level, and gain direct support and mentorship from top regional entrepreneurs and organizations.
This year’s Scale Up companies include:
EZ Chow
GoWild
Flywire
Level Up
Home Team
Selfless.ly
AuthentiCx
Continuud Care
Read more about each company here.
Using Zoom to host the virtual event, Endeavor Managing Director, Jackson Andrews, kicked things off: “Endeavor is thrilled to be supporting eight fantastic companies from our region in this year’s Scale Up cohort. Over the next seven months, these entrepreneurs will access support from our region’s top startup mentors, EY, Endeavor, and West Ventures.”
Moving right along, EY Partners Dave Calzi and Greg Pope took the lead by introducing Scale Up entrepreneurs to the 7 Drivers of Growth framework through their new digital platform, EY Velocity. Further solidifying the virtual nature of this year’s program, the new digital platform is the next evolution of the original 7 Drivers of Growth tool, which has been crafted from over 30 years of collective wisdom and insights gathered from helping high-growth entrepreneurs and the world’s most successful companies unlock sustainable growth.
Especially designed for growth-stage companies, the 7 Drivers of Growth helps entrepreneurs assess their business’ unique capabilities and growth across seven key areas: people, behaviors, and culture, digital, technology and analytics, operations, customer, funding and finance, transactions and alliance, and risk.
Following an introduction to the EY Velocity platform, 2020 Scale Up entrepreneurs had the opportunity to speak with 2019 Scale Up entrepreneur and Untitled co-founder Connor Gaffney, as he hopped in to share his Scale Up experience and advice for making the most of the program’s resources.
The entrepreneurs then completed a two-hour virtual working session, each utilizing the 7 Drivers of Growth tool on the EY Velocity platform to assess their businesses. EY consultants Kevin Bilbrey and Scott Tedcastle individually supported the entrepreneurs through Zoom breakout rooms. A typical 7 Drivers of Growth workshop, led by a trained EY consultant, gives entrepreneurs insight into their current capabilities relative to their future aspirations. Entrepreneurs also receive clarity around strategic priorities and challenges, and most importantly, a prioritized list of activities to help the companies achieve the next level of growth.
To close out the virtual launch, Endeavor Scale Up Mentors Delfina Sitar (West Ventures), Dave Willbrand (Thompson Hine), Martin Low (On Plane), Leah Eggers (On Plane), Andrew Goldner (GrowthX), and Christian Beck (InnovateMap) joined the call to introduce themselves and get acquainted with the entrepreneurs they will be working closely with over the next seven months.
Following the virtual launch, each Scale Up company will be matched with a current Endeavor Entrepreneur as a peer mentor for the duration of the program. The cohort will reconvene next in August to participate in a workshop led by San Francisco-based West Ventures, and finally an Endeavor Mock Selection Panel to conclude the program in November.
About Endeavor
Endeavor is a 22 year-old organization that is leading the global movement to drive long-term economic growth by selecting, mentoring, and accelerating the best high-impact entrepreneurs around the world. Founded in 1997 by Linda Rottenberg and Peter Kellner, Endeavor has helped 1,930 of these entrepreneurs build more than 1,200 companies across 35 markets, which generated combined revenues of $20 billion in 2018. To date, companies led by Endeavor Entrepreneurs have created 3 million jobs, and often go on to mentor and invest in the next generation of founders or serve on the boards of Endeavor offices. To learn more, visit www.endeavor.org.
About EY
EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In doing so, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities. EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation is available via ey.com/privacy. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com. This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, a client-serving member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited operating in the US.
