founders awards

HONORING FOUNDERS IN EVERY GROWTH PHASE

Founders Awards is presented annually by Founders Alliance to recognize outstanding founder achievement around the world in the categories Founder of the Year, Young Founder of the Year and Founder of the Year Honorary Award.

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Founders Awards Gala by Founders Alliance 27

founder of the year

THE WINNERS ARE AWARDED AT THE GALA

The winners in each category, female and male, are awarded by large scale founders acting as jury at the Founders Awards Gala on September 25, 2025 and receive the award commonly called The Growth Rings.

FOUNDERS AWARDS GALA

growth ecosystem

CULTIVATING GLOBAL GROWTH

The Founders Award, with its growth rings, is one of the most important symbols for Founders Alliance as a prime contributor to growth in all phases of large scale company building. It is also the main inspiration for the Founders Alliance logo.

WHAT WE DO

FOUNDERS ALLIANCE INDEX

The global founders and their companies nominated to Founder of the Year are ranked based on the Founders Alliance Index, which takes into account past performances, future potential and societal benefits.

To encourage long-term, sustainable and equal ownership, Founders Alliance pays attention to women and men in every step of the entrepreneurial journey and honor winners in five categories: from the young founder, through all phases of a company’s growth cycle to the founder who through long-lasting achievement has developed one or more companies, and who embodies a true role model for other founders.

THE GROWTH RINGS

All founders embody a seed that grows into a successful company.

Just like trees in a forest, founders are the most important organism in the ecosystem that creates growth in the world.

The symbol that pays tribute to these successful founders we call The Growth Rings.

“It starts as a seed in the founder’s mind. For it to grow strong, patience is required and real perseverance. During a company's development, strong years with good conditions alternate with meagre and tough years without development."

The Founders Awards annual growth rings symbolise this story.

PHOTO ALBUM GALA 2023

young founder of the year

ENCOURAGING FURTHER SUCCESS

The purpose of the award is to encourage further success, acting as a catalyst to growth for the young founders.

founder of the year

HIGHLIGHTING GLOBAL LARGE SCALE FOUNDERS

Founders of the Year aims to highlight global large scale founders who own and operate sustainable companies, and thus stimulate more medium-sized and large internationally expanding companies.

Founder of the Year is Founders Alliance's main award, and aims to draw attention to and highlight global large scale founders who own and operate sustainable companies, and thus stimulate more medium-sized and large internationally expanding companies.

The founders and their companies are ranked based on the Founders Alliance (FA) Index, which takes into account past performances, future potential and societal achievements.

To pay attention to the highest performing founders in several company development phases, and to highlight female and male winners, Founder of the Year is awarded to male and female founders in three categories based on financial results the year prior.

CRITERIA FOUNDER OF THE YEAR

Founders of Small Size Companies - active founders of a private or public limited company with a revenue of cirka 2-10 MEUR with at least 20% ownership in a profitable company.
Founders of Medium Size Companies - active founders of a private or public limited company with a revenue of cirka 10-50 MEUR with at least 20% ownership in a profitable company.
Founders of Large Size Companies - active founders of a private or public limited company with a revenue of more than 50 MEUR with approximately 20% ownership in a profitable company.

founder of the year

HONORARY AWARD

Rewarding particularly successful founders who have made a long-lasting contribution and inspire other founders to act as similarly great role models.