Synergies Work, an Atlanta nonprofit supporting entrepreneurs with disabilities, today announced that it is now accepting applicants for the 2025 EDDIE Awards, dedicated to diverse and inclusive excellence in the business community. Celebrating innovative entrepreneurs with disabilities from across the country, this year’s event will be held on April 24 at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta.
For more information on the application process, including award categories, go here. Entrepreneurs at all stages of their business are invited to apply.
“Now in its third year, the EDDIE Awards recognize businesses owned by individuals with disabilities who are using their innovation, talent, and resilience to make an impact in the entrepreneurial world,” said Aarti Sahgal, CEO and Founder of Synergies Work. “The awards highlight the power of diverse experiences in driving change, breaking down barriers, and inspiring others.”
Finalists will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the EDDIE Awards. One winner will be named in each award category, with an Entrepreneur of the Year selected to receive a $10,000 grand prize to further their business aspirations. Remaining proceeds from the EDDIE Awards will be used to support Synergies Work’s programs, all of which are free to disabled founders. To date, Synergies Work has served over 350 founders.
Become an EDDIE Awards Sponsor
A joyful celebration of founders with disabilities across the United States, the EDDIE Awards event is where movers and shakers from all industries converge to innovate, share, and foster success. Corporations and organizations have the opportunity to sponsor the 2025 EDDIE Awards at multiple levels, including being the Headline Sponsor.
“Sponsoring the 2025 EDDIE Awards offers brands more than just an alignment with inclusion; it’s a strategic investment that advances both corporate social responsibility and economic impact. This partnership elevates brand visibility, fostering meaningful connections with an actively engaged audience and strengthening the organization’s position in a growing market focused on diversity and inclusion,” said Ruby Moore, who is co-chairing this year’s black-tie event along with Athar Khan. Moore is CEO of the Georgia Advocacy Office and sits on the board of the Synergies SEED Fund. Khan is Director of International Specialty Sales for Delta Air Lines and a board member of Synergies Work.
To learn more about this year’s sponsorship opportunities, go here.
Read the Synergies Work 2024 Mid-Year Impact Report
The Synergies Work 2024 Mid-Year Impact Report recaps initiatives and successes of the nonprofit organization for the first half of the year, broken across three categories:
- Nurturing the Grassroots — by nurturing disability-owned small businesses for sustainable success through its Igniting Ideas and Blaze Business Accelerator programs.
- Building Collective Action — through Community Hub, an inclusive online marketplace, and the EDDIE Awards to close the disability network and resource gap.
- Creating Pathways to Capital — by creating pathways for direct investment in entrepreneurs to build sustainability and financial health. This includes the Synergies SEED Fund, a 501(c)(3) community development financial institution (CDFI) dedicated to the unique financial challenges faced by entrepreneurs with disabilities.
Founder diversity is a key mission of Synergies Work. For example, founders in its business accelerator programs during 1H2024 were 62% women and 12% people of color, representing a range of disabilities: mental health (63%), cognitive or intellectual (38%), learning (38%), sensory (38%), chronic health conditions (38%), mobility (38%), and neurological (13%).
The full Synergies Work 2024 Mid-Year Impact Report can be read here.
A short video that tells the Synergies Work story can be viewed here.
About Synergies Work
Synergies Work is the largest startup hub in the United States for disability-led businesses that has served over 350 founders through its accelerator and incubator programs. By supporting founders at every stage of their journey, it is building an entrepreneurial ecosystem for disabled founders to thrive. With the mission of building one world where people with disabilities belong, Synergies Work is a catalyst for economic mobility. It spurs innovation, fuels growth, and guides small business owners with disabilities toward success. Its approach is based on a fundamental belief that all individuals have boundless talent, an inherent curiosity to explore, and a passion to succeed.
Synergies Work has received the Dave Hammis Innovation Award from the APSE (Association of People Supporting Employment First) and received 2nd Place and Audience Favorite grants from Truist Foundation’s Inspire Awards. The nonprofit is also part of the Moonshot Initiative in partnership with SmartJob and Enable Ventures which was announced at the Clinton Global Initiative.
For more information on Synergies Work, visit www.synergieswork.org or contact the organization at synergies@synergieswork.org.
