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After an exhaustive months-long search and numerous applicants, we've announced the finalists for the Entrepreneur of 2013 contest. The finalists in each of the three categories -- "Established", "Emerging" and "College" -- have been selected for their impact on their industries, communities and employees.
The winners of each category will be profiled in the January issue of the magazine and honored at the 2014 Growth Conference in New Orleans.
Let's get to know the five finalists for Entrepreneur of 2013 in the "Established" category:
David Lekach, founder of Dream Products
Lekach says he founded Dream Products which makes Dream Water, a
natural sleep aid, to help people lead better lives and offer a
natural alternative to the prescription and chemical sleep aids
that Americans currently take. Over the past two years, Dream
Water has donated more than $100,000 in products to the U.S.
military and has helped veterans find employment. "Our company
culture at Dream Water is to give back to our community and help
others lead balanced, healthy lives," says Lekach.
Read more of David
Lekach's story, watch his entry video and vote for him here
Jonathan Jackson, founder of Dimagi
Dimagi is a technology company that helps organizations deliver
health care to urban and rural communities around the world by
designing health-information systems and mobile technologies.
Jackson has grown the company in the past decade to include 6,000
mobile users from more than 80 active projects across 31
countries with over 60 world-wide employees. A social enterprise,
the company has three internal bottom lines, Jackson says,
"impact, team satisfaction, and profit [in that order]."
Read more of Jonathan
Jackson's story, watch his entry video and vote for him here
Brad Damphousse, founder of GoFundMe
Crowdfunding for businesses has gone mainstream, but Damphousse
founded GoFundMe in 2008 as a crowdfunding site for personal
causes. Helping individuals ask their family and friends for
financial support, GoFundMe's personal fundraising campaigns have
raised over $95 million from more than 1.4 million donors. "We're
most proud of how GoFundMe has helped those affected by national
tragedies such as the Colorado theater shooting, Hurricane Sandy,
the Boston marathon bombings, and the Oklahoma City tornadoes,"
says Damphousse. GoFundMe also provides a monthly allowance of
$1,000-per-employee to donate to the campaign of their
choice.
Read more of Brad
Damphousse's story, watch his entry video and vote for him
here
Related: A Plucky Startup Ditches 'Coin Piggy' Roots and Finds Its Missio
Ahmed Khattak, founder of GSM Nation
When Khattak arrived in the U.S. as a college student, he was
frustrated that he couldn't call home without signing a two-year
mobile-phone contract. His company, GSM Nation, was born of that
frustration. GSM is a wireless company that allows mobile
customers to move away from restrictive and expensive contracts
by providing unlocked, contract-free smartphones. He is also a
member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's National Advocacy
Council of Young Entrepreneurs, which represents the voice of
young entrepreneurs to congressional leaders.
Read more of Ahmed
Khattak's story, watch his entry video and vote for him here.
Related: Young Entrepreneur Challenges the Way Americans Think About Their Cellphones
Patrick O'Neill, founder of Olloclip
Olloclip's mission is to create innovative tools for mobile-phone
photography. Its flagship product is the olloclip three-in-one
lens system is a fisheye, wide-angle and macro that connects to
an iPhone. Since its founding in 2009, ollocip has gained several
high-profile fans including professional athletes, celebrities
and industry luminaries like Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple,
and Kevin Systrom, CEO of Instagram. Olloclip manufactures its
products in Huntington Beach, Calif., and donates to local
schools photography departments.
Read more of Patrick
O'Neill's story, watch his entry video and vote for him here.
Copyright © 2013 Entrepreneur.com, Inc.
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