Payoneer (NASDAQ: PAYO), the commerce technology company powering payments and growth for the new global economy, announced today the winners of its sixth annual Entrepreneurship Awards. Outstanding digital entrepreneurs from Australia, India, Israel, Mexico, and China have scooped the honors in Payoneer’s Entrepreneurship Awards – with women winning 60% of the available awards. A total of 4,315 entrepreneurs from 170 countries entered the prestigious awards, which build on Payoneer’s position at the forefront of digital payments to celebrate sales growth, intelligent business, and creativity.
The five winners are true Payoneers, breaking down borders and embracing technology in a truly global ecosystem. They are:
- Disruptor of the Year: Candice Deepler – Founder, TrueSooth, Australia
- Socially Responsible Business of the Year: Archana Garodia Gupta – Founder and CEO, Touchstone, India
- eCommerce Business of the Year: Lior Pozin – Co-founder and CEO, AutoDS, Israel
- Freelance Business of the Year: Guadalupe Rincón – Director of Content Production and Distribution, Ideaphilos Comunicación, Mexico
- Entrepreneur of the Year: Wen Xu – CEO, Laifug, China
Keren Levy, President at Payoneer, said: “Our congratulations go to all the winners, and I’d add that on International Women’s Day, it’s fantastic to see most of our awards going to pioneering, ambitious women. Once again, the Payoneer Entrepreneurship Awards showcased some of the world’s best digital entrepreneurs. We are in awe of their efforts and are honored to serve them. They are tapping into a universe of opportunity that is growing because of digitalization, creating unbounded potential to build successful businesses and leave legacies.”
She added: “We are grateful to all the entrants who shared their stories with us. Each one inspires and motivates us to keep working hard to help more small businesses make an impact on the world.”
Full details about all of the award winners are available on the Payoneer blog.
Disruptor of the Year: Candice Deepler – Founder, TrueSooth, Australia
Created by women supporting women, TrueSooth designs and delivers breast pain relief products. Its founder, Candice Deepler, struggled with her own breastfeeding journey, while the loss of one of her closest friends to breast cancer inspired the company’s post-breast surgery recovery set.
TrueSooth made its first sale in November 2020. By Q2 of 2021, it was experiencing 650% growth. “Mediocrity is not an option,” said Deepler. She added: “Starting my own business has given me a sense of pride and, truthfully, shocked me into the belief that so much is possible if you just take the first step, then another, and then another.”
Socially Responsible Business of the Year: Archana Garodia Gupta – Founder and CEO, Touchstone, India
Launched in 1996, Touchstone is the oldest national Indian ethnic costume jewelry brand. Its founder, Archana Garodia Gupta, aims to simultaneously preserve Indian heritage and empower women.
“We hope more businesses like ours will spur an increase in handicraft exports from India, provide employment to rural artisans, and preserve our intangible craft heritage,” said Gupta. “Since we’ve made our products available in international markets, our business has experienced a 15x growth in exports over the last four years.”
Freelance Business of the Year: Guadalupe Rincón– Director of Content Production and Distribution, Ideaphilos Comunicación , Mexico
Former Telemundo producer and production director Guadalupe Rincón joined Ideaphilos Comunicación in 2019 with a dream of “creating jobs, helping entrepreneurs achieve their goals, and making more successful businesses throughout the world.”
Three years later, she is certainly achieving her ambitions. In 2021, Ideaphilos Comunicación enjoyed 500% growth, serving clients in the US and Canada from its base in Mexico City. Rincón said: “We want to focus on this award being a positive example for young people, contributing to forming a more fair, equal, and human society built on respect and tolerance.”
About Payoneer
Payoneer is the world's go-to partner for digital commerce, everywhere. From borderless payments to boundless growth, Payoneer promises any business, in any market, the technology, connections and confidence to participate and flourish in the new global economy.
Since 2005, Payoneer has been imagining and engineering a truly global ecosystem so the entire world can realize its potential. Powering growth for customers ranging from aspiring entrepreneurs in emerging markets to the world's leading digital brands like Airbnb, Amazon, Google, Upwork, and Walmart, Payoneer offers a universe of opportunities, open to you.
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