Nate Morris, founder and CEO of Lexington, Kentucky-based Rubicon Technologies LLC, has been named among the winners of Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur Of The Year East Central Awards.
Entrepreneur Of The Year is one of the preeminent competitive business awards for entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who think big to succeed, according to a news release. The winners were selected by an independent judging panel comprised of award alumni, leading CEOs, investors and other regional business leaders.
“EY has honored the curiosity, ingenuity, courage and drive of unstoppable entrepreneurs since 1986, and we are proud to continue the tradition again this year by celebrating this outstanding group of leaders,” said Mike Denove, East Central program director, in the release. “Each of these entrepreneurs has persevered to make their visions become a reality, and I have no doubt that they will benefit from and serve as valuable members of our global Entrepreneur of the Year community.”
The East Central region included entrepreneurs from Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Northeast and South Central Ohio and Kentucky.
Morris, a Kentucky native who founded Rubicon in 2008, was one of three local founders that were finalists for the award. The other two finalists were Tyler Jury, co-founder of Louisville-based Clayton & Crume, and Scott Arias, founder of Nicholasville, Kentucky-based ACE Consulting Company LLC.
Rubicon, which developed a cloud-based technology and software platform to provide smart waste and recycling solutions for businesses and governments worldwide, moved its global headquarters from Atlanta to Lexington last year. In December, it entered into an agreement to go public via a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) deal.
That merger hasn't happened yet. At the time of the announcement last year, it was expected to close in the second quarter of 2022.
SPAC deals had been all the rage since 2020, but as of late, investors are pulling back. The New York Times reports at least seven SPACs have folded since the beginning of the year and more than 70 SPACs that were waiting to go public have shelved their plans.
