(PRESS RELEASE) SEATTLE, WA — Aurion Biotech, whose mission is to restore vision to millions of patients with life-changing regenerative therapies, announced that CEO Greg Kunst has been named winner of the Ernst & Young 2024 Entrepreneur of the Year award for the Mountain West Region.
The Mountain West program celebrates entrepreneurs from Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Now in its 38th year, Entrepreneur Of The Year is the pre-eminent competitive business award for audacious leaders who disrupt markets, revolutionize industries and have a transformational impact on lives. Over the past four decades, the program has recognized daring entrepreneurs with big ideas and bold actions that reshape our world.
“On behalf of our patients, our physicians and our employees, I’m delighted to accept this award,” said Greg Kunst, CEO of Aurion Biotech. “Aurion Biotech is on a mission to bring our transformational cell therapy to millions of patients who are at risk of blindness resulting from corneal endothelial dystrophies. Gaining this recognition from Ernst & Young is another important step for us in our journey. I thank the panelists and Ernst & Young staff who sponsor this award.”
Greg Kunst was part of a group of 39 entrepreneurs selected as finalists by an independent panel of judges. The finalist candidates were evaluated based on the demonstration of building long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact, among other core contributions and attributes.
“The 2024 Entrepreneur Of The Year Mountain West Award winners are exceptional business leaders fueling innovation within its industries and growth within its companies,” said Shawn Goff, partner and Entrepreneur Of The Year Mountain West Program co-director. “These entrepreneurs are shining examples of how to lead a scaling business and also care for employees, customers and communities.”
Entrepreneur Of The Year honors many different types of business leaders for the ingenuity, courage and entrepreneurial spirit. The program celebrates original founders who bootstrapped its business from inception or who raised outside capital to grow the company; transformational CEOs who infused innovation into an existing organization to catapult its trajectory; and multigenerational family business leaders who reimagined a legacy business model to fortify it for the future.