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The spirit of entrepreneurship is alive and thriving in the Orange community. To recognize the entrepreneurial accomplishments of our graduates, ���ϲ����� is excited to announce the launch of the , a new annual celebration of the 50 fastest-growing businesses founded or owned by ���ϲ����� alumni.

“���ϲ����� is home to one of the first academic entrepreneurship programs in the U.S., and we have a longstanding tradition associated with supporting and elevating the entrepreneurial aspirations of our students,” says . “The ‘CUSE50 Alumni Entrepreneur program is a natural extension of that tradition, and a unique opportunity to connect our alumni entrepreneurs with our current students and faculty.”

’CUSE50 recognition is open to alumni of any school or college, graduates of ���ϲ����� executive education programs and alumni of entrepreneurship programs operated by the

“���ϲ����� alumni are doing extraordinary work all over the world, and I am thrilled that we are going to recognize the business acumen they developed at ���ϲ�����. What I’m most excited about is that our honorees will return to campus to pass along valuable insights to the next generation of Orange entrepreneurs,” says Tracy Barlok, ���ϲ�����’s chief advancement officer.

Awardees will be honored on campus on Thursday, Nov. 9, in the K.G. Tan Auditorium in the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building. While on campus, ’CUSE50 Awardees will also share insights with each other and current students, as part of a series of cross-campus engagement sessions planned for Nov. 10.

Do you want to compete to be recognized in the inaugural class of ’CUSE50 awardees?

Eligibility criteria for the ’CUSE50 awards are as follows:

• Applicants must be alumni of ���ϲ����� and be either a majority owner or hold a C-suite level leadership position in the company;
• Applicants must have founded their business at least three calendar years prior to the date of application for ’CUSE50 recognition;
• The company must have had verifiable revenues of $100,000 or more, at a point two years prior to the date of application, and verifiable revenues of $250,000 or more, at a point one year prior to the date of application.
• The company must meet one or more of the following criteria:
  • An alumnus or group of alumni maintain ownership in the company and have served as a C-Suite executive (i.e., chairman, CEO, president, or managing partner) for three consecutive years prior to nomination; or
  • An alumnus has led the company as a C-Suite executive for three consecutive years prior to nomination; or
  • An alumnus founded the company and has been active as a member of its senior management team for three consecutive years prior to nomination.
• Additionally, the company and its leaders and/or founders must act with high integrity and operate in a manner consistent with the values of ���ϲ�����, including accepting responsibility for their actions; practicing equity in human rights; upholding the law and respecting the rights of others; and contributing positively to ���ϲ����� and the national and global community.

The deadline to apply for recognition is Thursday, Aug. 31. To learn more about the ’CUSE50 awards and nominate your company for recognition, visit .