Oregon Entrepreneurs Forum Names Eleven Wireless Development Stage Company of the Year
Eleven Wireless receives prestigious early-stage company award from region's largest entrepreneur or
PORTLAND, Ore. - September 29, 2005 - Oregon Entrepreneurs Forum, the leading entrepreneur organization in the Pacific Northwest, announced at its 12th annual Entrepreneurship awards ceremony that Eleven Wireless, an emerging leader of software for managing public-access broadband networks, won the prestigious Development Stage Company of the Year award. This award represents one of three categories and recognizes early-stage companies.
Eleven was up against two other finalists, Keen Mobility and ShiftWise, both emerging companies based in the Portland area. Twelve companies in all were nominated for the Development Stage award. All three finalists in this category represent the momentum in the Portland start up arena.
"The Development Stage Company of the Year award is always exciting, as it represents up-and-coming companies," said Linda Weston, Executive Director of the Oregon Entrepreneurs Forum. "Eleven winning this award is a result of the great year they have had with their business, and represents the emerging Oregon technology economy. It is great to see Eleven win this award and remind people that Portland is a great place to start and build a business."
In his acceptance speech, recently appointed CEO Kevin Macgillivray touched on the significance of the award, in particular how it symbolizes the focus of the entire organization.
"This award is very rewarding to the employees and founders of the company, as it is recognition of the ground we've covered over the past few years," said Josh Friedman, founding CEO and current vice president of Marketing for Eleven. "We've always known that no matter how difficult the journey, the company was on a path to success. This year has been a big one for the company - bringing on an experienced CEO, solidifying our partnership with Hilton and bringing on some key hires - we look forward to the future."
Eric Rosenfeld, managing partner at Capybara Ventures and the first investor in Eleven, has seen the company grow almost from its inception. "Watching Eleven grow from an idea into a successful company with customers across North America and attract a world-class CEO has certainly been an exciting journey. I certainly admire and appreciate what the team has accomplished."
Eleven was founded in late 2001 during the height of the recession. The company began deploying Wi-Fi networks in hotels and convention centers. The founders quickly discovered an unaddressed market need and immediately shifted focus. That need was centralized software to manage broadband networks in hotels. Since then, the company has been successful building relationships with major hotel brands, such as Kimpton, Hilton and Starwood, and has raised just under $1 million in investment capital.
About Eleven Wireless
Eleven delivers on-demand software for managing public-access Internet networks. The company's flagship product, ElevenOS, is a highly flexible software solution that enables customers centrally manage their broadband networks. Eleven is headquartered in Portland, Oregon. For more information, visit www.elevenwireless.com or call 503.222.4321.
About Oregon Entrepreneurs Forum
Founded in 1991, Oregon Entrepreneurs Forum is a non-profit corporation dedicated to providing opportunities for Oregon entrepreneurs and improving the business climate for emerging, growth-oriented companies statewide. The organization has over 2,500 members throughout Oregon and SW Washington. For more about the OEF, visit www.oef.org.
For Eleven Wireless:
Josh Friedman
(503) 705-7975
For OEF:
Greg Netzer
(503) 222-2270
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