Why We Do the NEVY Awards
Incredible people and teams are changing the world right in our own backyard. New England is pragmatic — we spend a lot of time heads down, building organizations, solving problems, scaling companies — and often forget to celebrate sheer volume of amazing that goes on here every day.
In New England, we’re surrounded by game changers and influential leaders in virtually every sector, and that deserves a night all to its own. The NEVCA launched the NEVY Awards five years ago to do just that: Loudly and proudly celebrate the unique, close-knit startup and venture community of New England. In each of the four previous years, the NEVYs have grown, changed, and matured — but the founding principals have always remained.
This year the underlying mission persists, but there’s a bit more urgency too.
We Need to Celebrate THIS Innovation Community Now More Than Ever.
As a region, our organizations and investors, in tech and life sciences, tackle economic, societal, and environmental challenges that affect people around the country and around the world. Reflective of New England (and the country as a whole), many of the people contributing to this region’s success weren’t born here. We have a good feeling that the nominees at this year’s NEVYs (as they always have), will reflect that diversity, and highlight the contributions made by people of all walks of life. The NEVYs are one way that we can, as we must, let them know that the community recognizes their work in making the region flourish.
The Startup Journey Can be Lonely. Community is Key.
On the night of the NEVYs, over 1,000 entrepreneurs and investors come to party at the House of Blues. Being able to connect with a room full of friends and those who want you to do well is part of the force that drives entrepreneurs to keep moving. If even for a night, people feel they are not out there all by themselves.
New England Needs To Retain Talent.
Our region has some of the world’s most sought after universities, startups and companies. And yet we do a less-than-stellar job keeping smart people local. According to CBRE’s Scoring Tech Talent 2016 report, Boston has the largest brain drain out of 40 cities in the country. The NEVY Awards put rising stars next to living legends, and highlight some of the many great reasons to build a career in Boston.
The NEVYs are important to us and our ecosystem. We hope you’ll join and have a drink with us on May 17th at House of Blues. REGISTER HERE.
We’d like to thank our Presenting Sponsor General Electric, and all the companies for their support in making the 5th Annual NEVYs the best yet.
