Agora Data CEO Steve Burke was named an Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 Southwest Award finalist by Ernst & Young.

Now in its 38th year, the company highlighted the Entrepreneur of the Year program is a competitive business award endeavor for “audacious” leaders who disrupt markets, revolutionize sectors and have a transformational impact on lives.

Burke was one of 47 regional entrepreneurs selected as finalists by an independent panel of judges. The candidates were evaluated based on their demonstration of building long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact, among other core contributions and attributes.

“I am truly honored to be named a finalist for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 Southwest Award. This recognition reflects the dedication and innovative spirit of the entire Agora team,” Burke said in a news release from Agora. “Together, we share a profound commitment to reshaping the landscape of non-prime auto finance, challenging conventions, and pioneering solutions that empower individuals and drive positive change.

“This acknowledgment fuels our determination to continue disrupting the status quo and revolutionizing the future of auto finance,” he continued.

Regional award winners will be announced on June 15 during a special celebration and will become lifetime members of an esteemed community of Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni from around the world.

The winners will then be considered by the national judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, which will be presented in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum, one of the nation’s most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies.

Entrepreneur of the Year honors many different types of business leaders for their ingenuity, courage and entrepreneurial spirit.

“The program celebrates original founders who bootstrapped their business from inception or who raised outside capital to grow their 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,” officials said.

In addition to Entrepreneur of the Year, EY US supports other entrepreneurs through the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women program and the EY Entrepreneurs Access Network to help connect women founders and Black and Hispanic/Latino entrepreneurs, respectively, with the “resources, network and access needed to unlock their full potential.”