Junior Achievement of Central Indiana announces event chair for 33rd annual Central Indiana Business Hall of Fame Awards Gala
INDIANAPOLIS – Junior Achievement of Central Indiana (JACI) announced today that Eric Tobias, co-founder and partner at High Alpha, will serve as event chair for the organization’s 33rd annual Central Indiana Business Hall of Fame Awards Gala. In this role, Tobias will head planning initiatives for the 2021 event, which will be held on Friday, December 3rd at the Indiana Roof Ballroom.
Established in 1989 by the JACI Board of Directors, the Central Indiana Business Hall of Fame Awards Gala honors outstanding men and women who epitomize personal and professional success, high moral and ethical standards and dedication to important civic causes, thereby improving the quality of life in our community. As event chair, Tobias will lead promotional efforts and encourage members of the Central Indiana business community to support JACI and the Hall of Fame event.
“I am extremely honored to be named event chair for this year’s Central Indiana Business Hall of Fame,” said Tobias. “This past year and a half has been tough on business, but our industry found ways to innovate and persevere despite hardship. The 2021 gala will not only serve to honor our four outstanding Laureates but will also be a symbolic celebration of Central Indiana business as a whole.”
Tobias is an entrepreneur and venture investor with tremendous insight and influence within the business community, working with and supporting entrepreneurs, innovators, and change agents on a daily basis. In addition to his work with High Alpha, Eric is the co-founder of The Speakeasy, Indianapolis’ original co-working space, owner of The Vogue, Indianapolis’ premier live music venue, and co-founder of Rock The Ruins, an outdoor summer music series.
“Eric is an exceptional business leader and the perfect fit to chair this year’s Hall of Fame event,” said Jennifer Burk, JACI’s President and CEO. “Our goal for the 2021 gala is two-fold: to honor outstanding individuals in Central Indiana who are community-minded champions of business and role models to young people across the state and nation, and to highlight the importance of providing Junior Achievement programs focused on career exploration, financial literacy, entrepreneurship and employability skills to today’s students, who are tomorrow’s leaders.”
Since the event’s inception, JACI has inducted 133 Laureates into the Central Indiana Business Hall of Fame. The 2021 Laureates will be honored at a black-tie event on Friday, December 3, 2021, at the Indiana Roof Ballroom. The evening will include keynote remarks from event chair, Eric Tobias, introductions of the Laureates and video presentations highlighting their many accomplishments. Junior Achievement students will have a role in the presentations, and each Laureate will also provide acceptance remarks.
Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are currently available; to learn more, please visit www.jahalloffame.org or contact Kacy Wendling, Director of Development, kacy@jaindy.org.
Eric Tobias Bio
Eric Tobias is an entrepreneur and venture investor. Eric is a Co-Founder and Partner at High Alpha, a Venture Studio that conceives, launches and scales technology companies. Since its founding in 2015, High Alpha has created 30+ companies from scratch and invested in another 50+ companies, all of which currently employ thousands of employees and have raised over $500M in venture capital.
Prior to High Alpha, Eric served as CEO and Founder of iGoDigital, the leading provider of predictive intelligence software for market-leading retailers such as Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy. Eric led iGoDigital from inception through its acquisition by Salesforce (NYSE: CRM), in 2012. After the acquisition, Eric led Salesforce’s Predictive Intelligence business, where he oversaw the development and growth of Salesforce’s artificial intelligence (AI) and data science initiatives.
Prior to Salesforce and iGoDigital, Eric was the co-founder of two highly successful technology companies – Batteries.com and Technuity. Both companies were acquired by Audiovox (NYSE: VOXX) in 2007.
Eric’s passions extend beyond technology to the arts, and specifically music. Eric is the owner of The Vogue, Indianapolis’ premier live music venue and is the co-founder of Rock The Ruins, an outdoor summer music series.
Eric is heavily influential in the community, working with entrepreneurs and organizations who are change agents. Eric is the co-founder of The Speakeasy, Indy’s original co-working space. In addition, Eric serves on a number of nonprofit boards in the community, including Indiana University’s School of Informatics and The Mitch Daniels Leadership Foundation. Eric lives in Indianapolis with his wife and three children.
About Junior Achievement of Central Indiana
Junior Achievement of Central Indiana, Inc. (JACI), in partnership with the business and education communities, empowers young people to own their future success. JA educates and inspires young people in the areas of career exploration, employability/life skills, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and philanthropy through hands-on, experiential learning opportunities for children in preschool through high school.
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