LONDON, Feb. 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- EY has selected 30 promising entrepreneurs from across the Americas, Asia-Pacific and EMEIA to take part in its 2018 EY Accelerating Entrepreneurs program. The 2018 class of entrepreneurs represent dynamic businesses that focus on innovative and disruptive fields like artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality, virtual reality (VR), customer interface, analytics, robotics and the Internet of Things (IoT). Over the course of the year, EY will support the selected start-ups with strategic guidance, advice and planning to help them to scale and grow their businesses globally.

The program will commence in Amsterdam from 21-24 April, 2018. Tapping into EY's long-standing and extensive network of global entrepreneurs, the EY Accelerating Entrepreneurs program will draw upon this knowledge to help the start-ups bolster their business plans in response to improving economic conditions across global markets. In Amsterdam, the start-ups will also attend Innovation Realized 2018, an EY two-day business conference from 23-24 April attended by global thought leaders, corporate executives and other disruptive entrepreneurs. There, the start-ups will collaborate with leading businesses in attendance on how to rapidly scale their companies to operate, grow and compete in a global business environment increasingly defined by industry convergence.  

Annette Kimmitt, EY Global Growth Markets Leader, says:

"The EY Accelerating Entrepreneurs program identifies leading start-ups who show an ability to present new business models and entry ways into markets. This year's class is already solving big challenges, disrupting their markets and have cutting-edge technologies. We want to prepare these transformative entrepreneurs to expand from their local markets to a position of navigating and leading the world by pursuing their global growth objectives."

This year's EY Accelerating Entrepreneurs class was chosen based upon their potential to grow across borders, solve big challenges, develop cutting-edge solutions and innovation, drive strategic direction and demonstrate leadership.

Over the course of 2018, the selected entrepreneurs will be part of a comprehensive program that includes:

• The opportunity to network and form ongoing relationships with EY Growth Coaches, global entrepreneurs, industry leaders and EY professionals.
• Access to a dedicated EY service executive to focus on the business issue most critical to the growth acceleration of participants together with an EY Growth Navigator™ session to help assess capabilities and deliver growth plans.
• Access to the global EY entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Bryan Pearce, EY Global Leader – Entrepreneurship, says:

"Today's business environment requires innovation to keep pace with the rapid changes caused by changing regulatory standards and geopolitical uncertainty. This year's class of EY Accelerating Entrepreneurs are not only pushing the boundaries of innovation but they are also the next generation of global business leaders. We are excited by this year's class and look forward to providing these emerging businesses with the leading practices to help accelerate their growth."

Notes to editors

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About the EY Accelerating Entrepreneurs program
The EY Accelerating Entrepreneurs program helps fast-growth start-ups from around the world to scale their business through one-to-one guidance, networking and insight sharing. Split into three Areas: the Americas, Asia-Pacific and EMEIA, the program is designed to help accelerate entrepreneurs through the next steps of their growth journey to become the global market leaders of tomorrow.

A full list of the Americas, Asia-Pacific and EMEIA 2018 EY Accelerating Entrepreneurs include:

The 2018 EY Accelerating Entrepreneurs from the Americas are:

• Thomas Brady, Co-Founder & CTO, SkySpecs, Inc., United States Optimizing the operations and maintenance of large energy infrastructure with autonomous robotics
• Omar Haroun, Co-Founder & COO, Text IQ, United StatesUsing AI technology to analyze big data to support high-profile litigations and government investigations
• Ron Jacobson, CEO, Rockerbox, Inc., United StatesEnabling clients to analyze customer intelligence through the use of recency-based browsing analytics
• Diego Oppenheimer, CEO, Algorithmia, Inc., United StatesSpecializing in building products and services by deploying machine learning and AI
• Maci Peterson, CEO, On Second Thought, Inc., United StatesA messaging app that lets users take back text messages before they get to the other person's phone
• Antonio Carlos Soares da Costa Jr., Co-Founder & CEO, Mais Simples Informatica Ltda., BrazilEnabling businesses to be more productive through a project management SaaS platform
• Zac Sheffer, CEO and Co-Founder, Elsen, Inc., United StatesUsing AI technology to help financial services organizations enhance and transform investment strategies
• Lea Tarnowski, Co-Founder, President and COO, Averon US, Inc., United StatesSecurity authentication platform for mobile devices integrated into wireless carriers
• Kedma Tolentino, CEO, 4Dmais Comércio e Serviços de Tecnologia da Informação Ltda, BrazilDeveloping products and services based on augmented, virtual and mixed reality and gamification
• David Ratner, CEO, Realm, United StatesProvider of a mobile database that runs directly inside phones, tablets or wearables

The 2018 EY Accelerating Entrepreneurs from Asia-Pacific are:

• Olivier Berthier, CEO, Moneythor, SingaporeHelping financial institutions deliver more intelligent and personalised digital banking to their customers
• Michael Kruger, Founder & CEO, Boundlss, AustraliaHelping clients and insurers improve health and wellbeing through AI, data and wearable technologies
• Wei Huang, Founder & CEO, Unisound, Greater ChinaAn IoT AI services specialist that owns proprietary and cutting-edge speech recognition apps
• Trent Clews-de Castella, Co-Founder & CEO, PHORIA Pty. Ltd., AustraliaSpecializing in 3D, 360 video, holographic, interactive, augmented, virtual and mixed reality technologies
• Kenny Chien, Founder & CEO, Emotibot, Greater ChinaMaking human emotional intelligence understood by digital assistants, chatbots and virtual agents
• Dennis Khoo, Founder & CEO, Xerafy Ltd., Greater ChinaProviding industrial radio-frequency ID tag solutions and automated management system of surgical instruments
• Keenan Kwok, Co-Founder & Chairman, GetLinks Inc., Greater ChinaSpecializing in helping technology companies find and hire top talent in Asia
• Justin McArdle, CEO, Frame Mixed Reality Labs, AustraliaDeveloping virtual reality products and services within the mixed reality landscape
• Navin Suri, CEO, Percipient Partners, Pte. Ltd, SingaporeHelping businesses virtualize and access any data, from any location or device, and deliver it in real-time to any application
• Patrick Ngan, Co-Founder & Group President, QF Pay International Limited, Greater ChinaProviding mobile and digital payment and value-added services to merchants across Asia and elsewhere
• Neeraj Sundarajoo (Raj), Founder & COO, Zeemart, SingaporeEmpowering businesses in the F&B industry to make smarter purchasing decisions

The 2018 EY Accelerating Entrepreneurs from EMEIA are:

• Idriss Al Rifai, Founder & CEO, Fetchr, United Arab EmiratesAn innovative tech-driven courier service transforming the traditional way of sending and receiving packages
• Pavel Chmelar, Co-Founder, GREYCORTEX, Czech RepublicUsing AI, machine learning and data mining methods to help make organizations' IT operations more secure and reliable
• Bohdan Hnatkovskyy, Co-Founder and CEO, Brainify B.V., The NetherlandsTransforming property development companies to manage their projects with analytics and digital platforms
• Jaroslaw Krolewski, CEO, Synerise, Poland Understanding customer behavior with AI, semantic web, predictive analysis, machine learning and automation
• Mercedes Iborra, Co-Founder & COO, VisualNACert, SpainProviding farm management software and geospatial mapping to control and manage crop yields and stocks
• Anton Potikha, Founder & CEO, ARbrowser, UkraineEnabling mobile platforms to use augmented reality templates for retail marketing
• Matthew Smith, CEO, SteelEye, United KingdomUsing cloud-based solutions to provide financial markets firms with a consolidated answer to regulatory requirements for trade and communications data
• Sjur Usken, CEO, Smart Plants AS, NorwayUtilizing IoT and other smart technologies to reduce expenses and increase efficiency for industrial clients
• Gareth Williams, Founder & Managing Director, YellowDog, United KingdomSecurely harnessing underutilized computer power, enabling organizations to deliver quickly and cost effectively, by leveraging this on demand

Peter Kelley        
EY Global Media Relations                                                    
+1 424 376 722                                              
peter.kelley1@ey.com     

SOURCE EY

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