Kauffman Foundation News (9/16/11): Seven Inducted in first Entrepreneur Walk of Fame

Entrepreneur Walk of Fame Unveils 
Inaugural Class of Inductees

Kauffman Foundation-sponsored initiative celebrates individuals for their bold ideas that revolutionize the way we do business, grow jobs and advance the entrepreneurial culture

The Entrepreneur Walk of Fame unveiled its inaugural class of seven esteemed honorees whose names will be immortalized with a sidewalk star in Kendall Square today. Similar to Hollywood’s celebration of movie stars, the Entrepreneur Walk of Fame (EntWoF) awards entrepreneurs at the top of their fields who have transformed the business culture and jumpstarted the economy.
The induction ceremony included speeches about each of the inductees and the unveiling of their stars.

The inaugural honorees and their companies are:

Thomas Edison – General Electric
Bill Gates – Microsoft
Bill Hewlett & David Packard – HP
Steve Jobs – Apple
Mitch Kapor – Lotus
Bob Swanson – Genentech
A panel of business leaders selected each of the honorees based on their innovation, economic impact and legacy, which will serve to inspire others to pursue entrepreneurship. The panel will select a new group of honorees each year.
Members of the selection committee for this year’s inductees included:
Carl Schramm, president and CEO, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Bill Aulet, managing director, MIT Entrepreneurship Center, Chairman of EntWoF Selection Committee
Tom Byers, director, Stanford Technology Ventures Program
George Colony, founder, chairman & CEO, Forrester Research
Desh Deshpande, co-chairman, National Advisory Council on Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Emily Nagle Green, chairman, Yankee Group
Bryan Pearce, Americas director of Entrepreneur of the Year Program, Ernst & Young
Jason Pontin, Editor in Chief, Technology Review

Learn more…>> http://www.kauffman.org/newsroom/inaugural-class-of-entrepreneur-walk-of-fame-to-be-unveiled.aspx