Mihai Pohoncu, CEO of Amber, has been named the winner of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ – Romania 2022 competition. The entrepreneur competed for the big title with 56 other business leaders and will represent Romania in the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ world. final, from June 2023
Amber is a creative agency offering a wide range of video game development solutions, from full product delivery to co-development, platform conversion, live operations and support services. The company was founded in 2013 in Bucharest and currently has more than 1,200 specialists and offices in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Botosani, Guadalajara, Montreal, Warsaw and Kyiv.
The Bucharest business has worked and continues to work with world-renowned brands in the gaming industry, such as Amazon, King, Big Fish Games, Disney, Warner Media and That Game Company. The list of games developed by Amber includes hits such as Tetris Beat, Super Spy Ryan, PositronX, Wild Things and Link Twin, as well as contributions such as Sky: Children of Light or Nascar Heat 5. Cinderella Free Fall mobile game developed for Disney, it has been downloaded by more than 8 million people worldwide.
In 2021, Amber recorded a record turnover of US$30 million, a 56% increase over the previous year. In November 2022, Amber received an investment of USD 20 million. The post-investment valuation of the shares was 190 million USD in order to accelerate the global development of the company.
During the gala concert of the 6th EY Entrepreneur of the Year Romania™ competition, Christian Tudor, founder of Ultragreensgot the title EYThe best entrepreneur of the year in the field of technologyas well as an award of distinction awarded to a successful family business, Family Business Award, returned to the family Ruksandra and Aleksandra Melkovychwho manage Drinks Merlins.
For Ultragreens, the security of the food system is one of the most pressing challenges, now and in the future. Sustainable agriculture has been brought to an art level within the research and development department, with solutions that deal with the effects of global warming and creating a food system ready to support a growing world population as the main goals.
The technology that Ultragreens uses today in its production units consumes 95% less water compared to classic agriculture, vertical cultivation saves agricultural space, and GreenHubs built near logistics platforms significantly reduce the carbon footprint created by transport.
The new Ultragreens greenhouse, fully automated, unique in Romania, will be equipped with an artificial intelligence system that will make agricultural processes even more efficient, and the company’s mission is to create a source of fresh, clean and local food 365 days a year. , it is expanding internationally. The first step was taken in Bulgaria, where the construction of the new GreenHub began.
Ruksandra and Aleksandra Melkovich form a strong team both at home and in business. The two entrepreneurs recognized their complementary professional skills and joined forces in 2015 to found Merlins Beverages, a business that promotes a healthy lifestyle and stands out as a true trendsetter in the soft drinks market.
The portfolio of Merlins Beverages currently includes five ranges of premium soft drinks: Vitamin Aqua, Vitamin Aqua Zero, LEMONADE, Pop Cola, VITANIMIX and a range of still water in Tetra Pack, MONTANA, the first bottled water in truly sustainable packaging in Romania. Although all Merlin ranges quickly found a loyal audience in the market, Vitamin aqua is one of the company’s most successful brands and the product that shaped the vitamin water market in Romania from the ground up.
For Merlin’s, 2022 ended with a turnover of approximately €16 million, up 35% on the previous year, with the vitamin aqua brand the clear category leader with a market share of over 80%.
In 2022, the EY Romania Entrepreneur of the Year competition also included a special category dedicated to extraordinary women who inspire and motivate teams and communities.
Award Inspiring Woman Award was given to him Iryna Arsen, MindIT.
Iryna Arsen started her business with Mindit Consulting, the first background check company in Romania. Mindit.io is an entrepreneur’s second company operating in the product design market, offering customized end-to-end software services (custom software, business intelligence, integration, M&S) to enterprise companies in Switzerland, Germany, France and the US. The company grew exponentially by more than 40% every year, providing services mainly for the international market.
Authenticity, an important value of the company, is supported by the promotion of diversity and equal opportunities (51% of people in management positions are women). mindit.io’s aspiration is to implement projects with long-term impact that will change the IT sector both nationally and globally.
“The current edition of EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Romania marks the largest number of entrepreneurs registered in this competition since its launch in 2014, which shows the development of a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem connected to the global market. At the same time, we are happy to see the integration of technology and innovation in more and more companies, important investments in technologies that do not pollute the environment, and access to increasingly sophisticated financing tools. This year’s contestants are certainly an example of success that has gone beyond Romania and is a true source of inspiration for future entrepreneurs.” said Bohdan Ion, Managing Partner of EY in Romaniaand Chief Operating Officer of EY in the Central and Southeastern Europe and Central Asia region.
Jury of EY Entrepreneur of the Year™ – Romania 2022
To select the winners, the jury considered each application based on four criteria: entrepreneurial spirit, purpose and strategic direction, community impact and capacity for growth.
The independent jury consisted of top managers: Julian Stanciu, Executive Chairman of eMAG (President of the Jury), Cristina Vercere, CEO of OMV Petrom, Adrian Mihai, CEO and co-founder of FAN Courier, Varga Moayed, business advisor and former strategy director of UiPath, Zdenek Romanek, president and CEO of Raiffeisen Bank Romania and Fadi Chreich, CEO of Regina Maria.
Entrepreneurs who participated in the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ competition – Romania 2022
57 entrepreneurs took part in the competition, who in 2021 created a business worth more than 1.54 billion euros and have almost 11,000 employees.
Eight finalists in the category EY Entrepreneur of the Year™ were:
- Mihai Pokhontzu, Amber is the winner of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ title
- Stefan Vuza, Khimkompleks
- Julian Nedya, Serhii Bazarchuk and Radu Vilau, Simtel team
- Cosmin Răileanu, We sell cheap
- Daniel Krechun, Lensa
- Voicu Oprean, Arobs Transilvania software
- Christian and Mihai Logofatu, Bittnet
Three awards in the category New Technology Entrepreneur of the Year™ entrepreneurs were awarded:
- Christian Tudor, Ultragreens – Technology Startup Entrepreneur of the Year™ Winner
- Liviu Drăgan, DRUID – second place
- Ştefan Iarca, RayScape – third place
Since 2014, the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ competition, the only entrepreneurial competition organized worldwide, is also held in Romania. The EY Entrepreneur of The Year™ competition has been organized in 60 countries for more than 35 years and rewards entrepreneurs for the vision and strategic direction of their business, the ability to innovate, personal integrity and, not least, for positive results. impact on the community.
Article supported by EY Romania
Source: Hot News
Lori Barajas is an accomplished journalist, known for her insightful and thought-provoking writing on economy. She currently works as a writer at 247 news reel. With a passion for understanding the economy, Lori’s writing delves deep into the financial issues that matter most, providing readers with a unique perspective on current events.