SCOTTSDALE, AZ--(Marketwired - May 13, 2014) -   Highlighting the extraordinary success in such areas as innovation and financial performance of venture development firm Tallwave, EY has named Jeff Pruitt, CEO and founder of Tallwave and its portfolio company integrated digital marketing agency ethology, as a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ 2014 Award in the Mountain Desert region.

"I congratulate Jeff on being named a finalist in this prestigious award program that recognizes leadership and aligns smart people for achievement of monumental change," said Craig Barrett, retired Chairman and CEO, Intel Corp. "Jeff is setting the vision to disrupt current dynamics in the innovation economy, not only in Arizona, but on a national level. In addition to helping early stage companies rapidly build products that drive commercial success, he's helping solve the gap in Seed and A round funding that is so prevalent."

Pruitt was selected as a finalist from nearly 100 nominations by a panel of independent judges. Award winners will be announced at a special gala event on Thursday, June 26, 2014 at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts Seawell Ballroom.

"Every day I wake up and feel energized and privileged to be a part of an organization whose mission it is to provide services, resources and the right contacts for new ventures to grow," said Pruitt. "I'm honored that EY has recognized the impact Tallwave is making by connecting the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Arizona and am grateful for the extraordinary talented team of people in my organization that help make it happen."

Now in its 28th year, the program has expanded to recognize business leaders in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries throughout the world. Regional award winners are eligible for consideration for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year National program. Award winners in several national categories, as well as the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year National Overall Award winner, will be announced at the annual awards gala in Palm Springs, California, on November 15, 2014.

About Tallwave
 Tallwave is a commercializor.

The company creates commercial success and shareholder value for entrepreneurs and investors by validating, scaling and managing early-stage and growth ventures with a hands-on approach. Tallwave also hosts High Tide™; one of the most innovative startup competitions in the U.S.

What separates Tallwave from the limitations of Incubator, Accelerator and traditional Venture Capital firm business models is its proprietary Tallwave Way™ closed-loop commercialization engine. The combination of Tallwave's lean Business Blueprint™ for product and company validation, its Operator Model™ for resource deployment and the access to pre-seed through Series A capital its networks provide, has been used to vet over 300 entrepreneurs and their concepts, validate more than 65 startups, and build a portfolio of half a dozen early-stage companies.

Founded and led by former iCrossing, Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft, GoDaddy executives, Tallwave is headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ with offices in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Additional information about Tallwave is available at www.tallwave.com.

About EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™
 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ is the world's most prestigious business award for entrepreneurs. The unique award makes a difference through the way it encourages entrepreneurial activity among those with potential and recognizes the contribution of people who inspire others with their vision, leadership and achievement. As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Entrepreneur Of The Year celebrates those who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognizing them through regional, national and global awards programs in more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries.