The cofounders of Orlando financial tech firm Stax, which launched as Fattmerchant in 2014, have been no strangers to awards and accolades.
Sal Rehmetullah and Suneera Madhani have won just about every local entrepreneurial contest in Central Florida.
For several years, they dominated area pitch competitions.
And Madhani recently was named a finalist for Finovate’s fintech woman of the year award.
But one award the company had not landed was the Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year for Florida … until this week.
Madhani and Rehmetullah were among nine Florida winners, and the only Orlando-area winners, of the prestigious award.
Nominees for the award were evaluated on leadership, talent management, difficulty, financial performance, impact on society and innovation.
Madhani and Rehmutellah will now be considered for the national award, which will be announced on Nov. 13.
In a LinkedIn post, Madhani told the story of how disappointed she was last year
“Entrepreneurship is the hardest journey that anyone will ever be on and I’m so grateful for the people around me that help me get here.”
Check out the full post here.