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 organization
PORTLAND, Ore. — September 29, 2005 — Oregon Entrepreneurs Forum, the leading entrepreneur organization in the Pacific Northwest, announced at its 12
th
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 WirelessEleven 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.CONTACT:
For Eleven Wireless
Josh Friedman
(503) 705-7975
josh.friedman@elevenwireless.com
For OEF:Greg Netzer
(503) 222-2270
gregn@oef.org
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