Emiliano Void: Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Small and Medium Enterprise Agency Starting your own business can be an exciting and rewarding experience. It has many benefits, including being your own boss, setting your own schedule, and earning a living doing what you love. But entrepreneurship also comes with a variety of challenges, especially for young people.
Emiliano Void, founder and CEO of nuWave Equity Corp. and this year’s SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year, has all the characteristics of a successful young entrepreneur: innovation, creativity, tenacity, resilience, flexibility and passion.
Photo: Emiliano Boyd, founder and CEO of nuWave Equity Corp. Photo courtesy.
Boyd, a Montreal native who has lived in Vermont for nine years, started nuWave, a diversity, equity and inclusion consulting and technology business, a few years ago.
He helps clients find solutions to the systemic inequities they face in their work environments and everyday lives in their communities.
“We’re leveraging technology as a tool to objectively measure what’s going on in the space and increase the impact of the recommendations and interventions we put together. It’s an interesting way to be able to look at the qualitative and quantitative elements of what’s going on in an organization and move it along the lines of higher performance, higher retention and an overall sentiment of employee satisfaction.”
More than half of business owners are over 55, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau; when Boyd started his business, only 6% were under 34.
While Boyd didn’t immediately launch his business, his enthusiasm and passion for his current endeavors is clear: He chose Vermont as the place to settle and establish himself, drawn by the potential for growth and exploration despite the state’s lack of racial diversity.
He started out working at Dealer.com, which was later acquired by Cox Automotive. During his time there, he was involved in the company’s community efforts, including founding the Black Employee Resource Group. This experience inspired him to pursue his passion and start his own venture.
“So many people really supported the work we were doing, so I thought it was important to really commit to it,” Boyd said.
Mr. Boyd has contributed and made a significant impact to the Burlington community through his professional and personal endeavors.
“nuWave’s work is not measured by accolades, but by its ability to make a difference in the community,” Void said.
In that regard, nuwave has been committed and successful in bringing greater visibility and opportunity to underrepresented and underserved communities through our work with clients, community-based initiatives, and engagement with schools and youth.”
Given the vital role the community plays in Void’s business and personal journey, it’s important to acknowledge the invaluable support and resources he’s received from so many individuals and organizations along the way.
Among the resources Void leveraged during nuwave’s early days was the Vermont Small Business Development Center, a valuable resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Since 1992, the VtSBDC has provided expert advice and supportive guidance to countless entrepreneurs like Void. He specifically utilized the VtSBDC’s services to refine nuwave’s market strategy and finalize its business plan.
As Void continues to scale his business, he has some advice for aspiring entrepreneurs: “Don’t let the first no be your first tell you. The world will happily tell you that it doesn’t think you can succeed, that you’re not the right person, that you’re not the right product, that it’s not the right time. Let the world resist you. Not letting the first no be your first tell you gives you the chance to step out into the world and see what’s possible.”
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