“When I was a kid I thought I’d win an Emmy. But we’re at the EDDIEs and frankly that means a lot more!” Marissa Ditkowski had the room laughing when she accepted her Newcomer award at the EDDIEs. 

These awards are a reminder that it’s possible to create a world where entrepreneurs with disabilities don’t just have a seat at the table, but truly belong. 

The EDDIEs (Entrepreneurs Dedicated to Diverse & Inclusive Excellence) are the nation’s premier celebration of entrepreneurs with disabilities. It’s a night full of connection, live performances, and delicious food and drink. 

To the finalists, keep making an impact on your communities.

You are what this night is all about. 

To our sponsors, we couldn’t have done this without you. 

And to the winners, congratulations on this achievement. 

Techpreneur: Rebecca Rosenberg, founder of ReBokeh Vision Technologies 

Creativity: Alexandra Adlawan, founder of Amazing Artists LLC 

Social Impact: Russell Lehmann, activist, speaker, author, and International Disability Rights Advocate at UCLA

Community Champion: Fernando Olivarez, founder of Speak4Hope

Newcomer: Marissa Ditkowsky, volunteer founding executive director of the National Disabled Legal Professionals Association 

And our Entrepreneur of the Year is Rebecca Rosenberg!  

She said, “this is such an incredible honor. I started our company because I felt left out of the disability conversation. I have low vision, but I felt for so long that there was nothing in terms of accessibility available to me. I got to college and thought, there has to be a better way to do this. I built the technology from nothing with a friend. And it turned out other people liked it.”

We left the evening inspired and hopeful for what’s ahead, and we hope you did too. 

The full list of finalists from this year’s awards is here.