You received a nationally recognized prize for entrepreneurial excellence. This includes major accolades like the EY Entrepreneur of the Year, Forbes 30u30 or equivalent awards.

Your specific leadership is discussed in major business media. This means full-length profiles in Forbes, Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, or Fast Company that detail your journey and business philosophy. A mere mention in a funding announcement or a listicle is usually insufficient; the story must be primarily about you.

You serve as a judge of the work of others in your industry. This could be serving as a judge for Techstars Demo Day, sitting on the jury for the CES Innovation Awards, or evaluating startups for a government grant program. You must show you were selected because of your renowned expertise.

You serve as a judge of the work of others in your industry. This could be serving as a judge for Techstars Demo Day, sitting on the jury for the CES Innovation Awards, or evaluating startups for a government grant program. You must show you were selected because of your renowned expertise.

Your earnings are significantly higher than other executives. We look at your total compensation including base, bonus, and equity value. You should be amongst the top 5-10% of venture backed Founders for this criteria.

Your business has significant traction in the industry. This is critical for founders. Evidence includes pioneering a "category-defining" business or major adoption from major company logos, or measurable market penetration, or scaled revenue attributable to the service or product you created.

We use "Comparable Evidence" to translate "art exhibitions" into "major industry keynotes." Examples include delivering a keynote presentation at global summits like Web Summit, Davos (World Economic Forum), or Slush, where your business vision was presented to a global audience of thousands.

You have authored thought leadership pieces in major trade publications. This includes "contributor" op-eds in Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, or TechCrunch that are widely shared and cited.

You are a member of an association that requires outstanding achievements. Standard chamber of commerce membership does not count. We work with members of the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO), Thiel Fellow or other distinguished industry organisations.

We use "Comparable Evidence" to translate "box office receipts" into "business growth." We leverage audited evidence that under your direct leadership, your company achieved scaled Annual Recurring Revenue growth for tech startups, as an example.‍