Recently, EY announced that our CEO and founder, Edison Chen, is a finalist for Entrepreneur of the Year! Edison spearheaded all of Clapper’s growth over the last year, so none of us are surprised. Still, we’re so proud of our CEO, and wanted to take some time to celebrate with the people who made this possible: our creators.
In today’s article, we’re breaking down this prestigious award and introducing our newest creators to our CEO, Edison Chen.
Meet Edison Chen
Edison has years of experience in startups, product management, and strategy, with expertise in building mobile tech and products. He studied at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, and it was his passion for innovation that led him to start Clapper.
The idea of Clapper came about while Edison was working for 5Miles, leading an auto vehicle business. He was able to connect with a lot of blue-collar workers, car dealers, and creators in an older demographic. When TikTok blew up, he saw firsthand how difficult it could be for these same creators to use.
It was hard for two completely different generations to co-exist on the same social media platform. I realize that the older generations also wanted to enjoy the benefits of short-form videos, monetization, and Livestreams. So, I created a platform that served this demographic.
The Entrepreneur Of The Year Award
Since its founding in 1986, Entrepreneur Of The Year has recognized over 11,000 inspiring entrepreneurs who lead businesses and change industries in the US. The program honors business leaders from a wide variety of industries for their integrity, courage, and entrepreneurial spirit. In their own description of the award from their website, EY said:
This program honors many different types of business leaders for their ingenuity, courage and entrepreneurial spirit. We celebrate original founders who bootstrapped their business from inception or who raised outside capital to grow their company; transformational CEOs who infused innovation into an existing organization to catapult its trajectory; and multigenerational family business leaders who reimagined a legacy business model to fortify it for the future.
The Process
Nominations for Entrepreneur of the Year open each spring. Organizers divide nominees by region and choose finalists from this pool. An independent panel of judges selects finalists “based on their demonstration of long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth, and impact, among other core contributions and attributes.” In June, EY hosts a special celebration to recognize the finalists and announce the winners from each region.
Finalists are judged on five main criteria: entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth, impact, and financial performance. You can learn more about the award and meet the other finalists here.
Who Are EY?
EY, short for Ernst & Young, is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and is classified as one of the “Big Four” accounting firms. The firm serves a wide range of industries with services like tax advisory and auditing. EY has earned recognition for its commitment to building a better working world.
We hope you’ll join us in congratulating Edison and wishing him the best of luck in the final stages of this competition. You can learn more about Edison here.