Customer Service
5 July 2007
Vivisimo CEO Raul Valdes-Perez Named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® 2007 Regional Award Winner
Award Recognizes Entrepreneurial Excellence in E-Commerce Category
Pittsburgh, PA—Vivisimo (vivisimo.com), a leading provider of enterprise search software and expertise, today announced that its Chief Executive Office and Co-Founder, Raul Valdes-Perez received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year® 2007 Award in the E-Commerce category in Western Pennsylvania. This award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic growth businesses. Valdes-Perez was selected by an independent panel of judges and the award was presented at an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year gala event at the Hilton Pittsburgh on Friday, June 29, 2007.
"I am proud to accept this highly-coveted award on behalf of our entire team at Vivisimo, who have all given so much of their time and effort into making our company thrive in the very competitive enterprise search space," said Raul Valdes-Perez, CEO of Vivisimo. "It is especially gratifying to see Vivisimo evolve from an idea born inside the confines of a Carnegie Mellon University lab among three scientists to an elite enterprise search provider with a growing global customer base. We remain enthusiastically committed to our original mission of providing innovative ways to conquer information overload and harness the true power of search."
The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards program celebrates its 21st anniversary this year and continues to honor entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence in such areas as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.
"Ernst & Young is honored to recognize extraordinary business leaders, such as Valdes-Perez and the companies they have built," said James Marucci, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year program director for Upstate New York, Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
In addition to the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 award, Valdes-Perez's leadership at Vivisimo has been acknowledged by the following honors:
- Top Ten Reader Favorite for Entrepreneur of the Year by Inc. Magazine
- CEO of the Year finalist by the Pittsburgh Technology Council
- 100 Most Important Hispanics in Business and Technology by Hispanic Engineer Magazine (3 consecutive years)
- Outstanding Alumni Career Achievement, UIC College of Engineering, 2006
- Carnegie Science Center Information Technology Award for Excellence, 2006
As an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year regional award winner, Valdes-Perez qualifies for consideration for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 national program. Ernst & Young will announce award winners in several national categories, as well as the overall national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award winner, at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, Calif., on November 17, 2007. The national Entrepreneur of the Year celebration is part of Ernst & Young's Strategic Growth Forum. The overall national Entrepreneur of the Year award recipient then qualifies for consideration for the world event held in Monte Carlo.
Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards are pleased to have Bank of America as the national presenting sponsor, as well as SAP America and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation as national sponsors.
In Upstate New York, Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, local sponsors include Alpern Rosenthal, Eos Partners, L.P., Pittsburgh Business Times and Pittsburgh Technology Council.
About the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards
The Entrepreneur Of The Year awards program was created and is produced by professional services firm Ernst & Young LLP. As the first award of its kind, the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year Award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic and growing businesses. The program, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2006, honors entrepreneurs through regional, national and global award programs in over 125 cities and 40 countries.
About Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young, a global leader in professional services, is committed to enhancing the public's trust in professional services firms and in the quality of financial reporting. Its 114,000 people in 140 countries pursue the highest levels of integrity, quality, and professionalism in providing a range of sophisticated services centered on our core competencies of auditing, accounting, tax, and transactions. Further information about Ernst & Young and its approach to a variety of business issues can be found at www.ey.com/perspectives. Ernst & Young refers to the global organization of member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, a U.K. company limited by guarantee, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited does not provide services to clients. Ernst & Young LLP is a U.S. client-serving member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited.
About Vivisimo
Vivisimo does search right by combining the simplicity and innovation of consumer search with the flexibility and control of enterprise software. The company works with customers to understand their goals and quickly deploy solutions that maximize the business value of information—with an interface users love. Vivisimo serves its global client base through headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA, and Paris, France, and partners throughout the world. Please visit vivisimo.com to learn more about us and visit our Search Done Right blog to learn more about enterprise search.
