The Go High Level EY Entrepreneur of the Year recognition refers to HighLevel co-founders Shaun Clark, Robin Alex, and Varun Vairavan winning the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2024 Southwest Award after first being selected as regional finalists.
The timeline is straightforward:
April 2024
HighLevel's three co-founders become Southwest finalists.
↓
June 2024
Shaun Clark, Robin Alex, and Varun Vairavan become Southwest Award winners.
↓
National Eligibility
The regional win makes them eligible for consideration for EY's 2024 National Awards.
The distinction matters because the HighLevel founders were not merely nominated. They progressed from finalists to regional winners.
For agencies evaluating the company behind the platform, our GoHighLevel for Agencies guide explains the practical CRM, automation, sub-account, SaaS, AI, and client-management capabilities available to agency operators.
What Is the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Award?
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year is a competitive awards program recognizing entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies.
EY says candidates are evaluated on factors related to:
Entrepreneurial spirit
Purpose
Growth
Long-term value creation
Impact
The program uses independent judging panels that include previous award recipients and other business leaders.
This is important context.
The award is not a software review.
It does not directly evaluate whether HighLevel has:
The best CRM
The best automation
or:
The best agency software
Instead, it recognizes the entrepreneurs and leadership behind the company.
Which HighLevel Founders Won the Award?
Three HighLevel co-founders received the 2024 Southwest Award:
Shaun Clark
Robin Alex
Varun Vairavan
HighLevel identifies its leadership roles as:
Shaun Clark — CEO
Robin Alex — COO
Varun Vairavan — CTO
The three founders have remained highly visible in HighLevel's product direction and company events, including later LevelUp presentations.
The 2024 HighLevel EY Timeline
Understanding the timeline prevents confusion between:
Finalist
and:
Winner
April 17, 2024 — Finalist Announcement
EY US announced that Shaun Clark, Varun Vairavan, and Robin Alex were among the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 Southwest Award finalists.
They were three of 47 regional entrepreneurs selected as finalists.
An independent panel evaluated candidates using criteria involving entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth, impact, and long-term value creation.
June 2024 — Southwest Winners
HighLevel's founders then advanced from finalists to winners.
EY officially listed:
Robin Alex, Shaun Clark and Varun Vairavan | HighLevel | Dallas, Texas
among the 2024 Entrepreneur Of The Year Southwest Award winners.
HighLevel announced the same result, identifying all three founders as Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 Southwest Award winners.
Finalist vs Winner
The distinction can be summarized as:
April
Finalist
↓
June
Southwest Regional Winner
That means describing HighLevel only as a:
2024 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year finalist
does not tell the complete story.
They subsequently won at the Southwest regional level.
Did HighLevel Win the National Entrepreneur Of The Year Award?
The regional win made HighLevel's founders eligible for consideration for EY's 2024 National Awards.
However, that does not mean they won the National Overall Award.
EY's process moves qualifying regional winners forward for national consideration.
The HighLevel founders were later recognized as national “emerging finalists,” while the 2024 National Overall Award went elsewhere.
Therefore, the accurate description is:
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2024 Southwest Award Winners
not:
2024 U.S. National Overall Winners
Precision matters when discussing awards.
Were the HighLevel Founders EY Finalists Before 2024?
Yes.
The 2024 recognition was not their first appearance in the program.
In April 2023, EY announced Robin Alex, Shaun Clark, and Varun Vairavan as Entrepreneur Of The Year 2023 Southwest Award finalists.
This creates a useful timeline:
2023
Southwest Finalists
↓
2024
Southwest Finalists Again
↓
2024
Southwest Winners
That progression provides additional context around HighLevel's business growth.
Why Were the HighLevel Founders Selected?
EY's selection process evaluates broader entrepreneurial performance rather than individual product features.
For the 2024 program, candidates were assessed on their ability to build long-term value through:
Entrepreneurial Spirit
Purpose
Growth
and:
Impact
among other criteria.
HighLevel's growth trajectory provides relevant context for the recognition.
HighLevel's Growth Before the Award
Before the 2024 EY win, HighLevel had already appeared on several major growth rankings.
In 2023, HighLevel reported:
No. 47 on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500
with:
3,362% revenue growth
for the applicable measurement period.
HighLevel also appeared on the Inc. 5000 and regional growth rankings.
These awards do not prove that every HighLevel customer succeeds.
But they provide independent context showing that the company itself had been expanding rapidly.
2024 Inc. Regional Recognition
In February 2024, HighLevel ranked:
No. 30
on the Inc. Regionals Southwest list.
HighLevel reported two-year revenue growth of:
401%
for that ranking period.
The EY finalist announcement followed shortly afterward.
April 2024 Was an Important Month for HighLevel
The EY finalist announcement was not the only major corporate development in April 2024.
HighLevel also announced a minority growth investment from General Atlantic during the same month.
That investment was structured as a minority transaction rather than an acquisition.
Combined, these developments created an important period in HighLevel's corporate history:
Rapid Growth
↓
Institutional Investment
↓
Entrepreneurial Recognition
↓
Continued Product Expansion
These events are related to HighLevel's broader growth story, but they should not be treated as evidence that one directly caused another.
What Does the Award Say About HighLevel?
The safest interpretation is that the award recognizes the company's founders and their entrepreneurial achievements.
It provides evidence that an independent EY judging process recognized their:
Leadership
Growth
Entrepreneurial Execution
and:
Business Impact
It does not certify individual HighLevel product features.
What the Award Does Not Mean
The award does not mean:
EY endorses every HighLevel product
or:
HighLevel is automatically the best CRM
or:
Every agency using HighLevel will succeed
or:
Every feature is suitable for every company
Those would be unsupported conclusions.
The award is leadership and entrepreneurship recognition.
Why Is the Award Relevant to Agencies?
Agencies frequently make long-term decisions around software infrastructure.
They may depend on HighLevel for:
Contacts
CRM
Pipelines
Automations
Conversations
Calendars
Funnels
Websites
Reputation
Payments
Reporting
AI
and:
Client Sub-Accounts
A platform vendor's business stability and leadership can therefore matter.
Software Vendor Evaluation Goes Beyond Features
Imagine two platforms with similar feature lists.
Agency owners may also evaluate:
Company Trajectory
Leadership
Product Development
Financial Position
Community
Support
Innovation
and:
Long-Term Direction
Awards such as EY Entrepreneur Of The Year provide one additional signal about the company behind the software.
They should not be the only signal.
The HighLevel Agency Model
HighLevel's growth is particularly interesting because the company has built much of its ecosystem around agencies.
The basic architecture is:
HighLevel
↓
Agency
↓
Client Sub-Accounts
↓
Small Businesses
This differs from a traditional SaaS company selling exclusively:
Software Vendor
↓
End Customer
Agencies become an important distribution and implementation layer.
Agencies as Technology Partners
An agency can potentially combine:
Software
Marketing Services
Implementation
Automation
Consulting
Support
This can shift the relationship from:
Campaign Vendor
toward:
Technology-Enabled Growth Partner
That model helps explain why HighLevel's success is closely associated with its agency community.
HighLevel Is More Than a CRM
Calling HighLevel only a CRM understates the scope of the platform.
The ecosystem has expanded across:
Lead Management
Sales Pipelines
SMS
Automation
Funnels
Websites
Calendars
Reputation
Communities
Courses
Payments
AI
and other functions.
For an agency, the strategic value is often not one feature.
It is the ability to connect multiple stages of the customer journey.
A Connected Customer Journey
For example:
Traffic
↓
Landing Page
↓
Lead
↓
CRM
↓
Automated Follow-Up
↓
Conversation
↓
Appointment
↓
Pipeline
↓
Sale
↓
Review
↓
Retention
An agency can manage much of this journey from one broader platform ecosystem.
Why Leadership Matters to Platform Users
Software platforms change continuously.
Features can be:
Added
Redesigned
Repriced
Deprecated
or:
Expanded
Agencies that build operations around one platform are indirectly betting on the company's ability to keep developing it.
Leadership therefore matters.
The EY recognition does not guarantee future performance, but it gives useful historical context around the founders responsible for HighLevel's growth.
HighLevel's Founders Remained Product-Focused
The founders continued appearing directly in major company events after the EY award.
At LevelUp 2025, Shaun Clark, Varun Vairavan, and Robin Alex presented HighLevel's 2026 roadmap.
HighLevel reported more than 300 new features in that roadmap presentation, including developments around AI, funnels, websites, workflows, desktop and mobile experiences, and advertising.
That continued founder involvement is relevant to understanding the company's leadership structure.
Innovation Was Part of the EY Evaluation Context
EY describes Entrepreneur Of The Year as recognizing leaders who disrupt markets, transform industries, and create long-term value.
For HighLevel, innovation has been visible through continued expansion beyond its earlier CRM and marketing automation foundation.
The platform increasingly covers:
Automation
AI
SaaS
Communications
Web Experiences
and:
Client Operations
AI Became a Major HighLevel Theme
HighLevel's later development increasingly emphasized AI.
At LevelUp 2024, HighLevel announced hundreds of updates, including AI Employee with voice capabilities.
By LevelUp 2025, AI remained a major theme in the company's roadmap.
This shows how the platform continued evolving after the EY recognition.
However:
EY Award
does not mean:
EY endorsed HighLevel's AI technology.
These should remain separate factual claims.
HighLevel's Growth Continued After 2024
HighLevel continued appearing on technology growth rankings after the EY award.
Deloitte's 2025 Technology Fast 500 ranked HighLevel:
No. 116
with:
781% growth
for the applicable ranking period.
This provides later independent evidence that HighLevel remained a high-growth software company after its 2024 EY regional win.
Recognition vs Product Evaluation
Agency owners should distinguish:
Corporate Recognition
Evaluates company leadership and growth.
Product Evaluation
Evaluates whether the software actually fits your requirements.
The EY award belongs primarily in the first category.
When evaluating HighLevel for an agency, you should still independently examine:
Features
Pricing
Automation Requirements
AI Requirements
Client Structure
Usage Costs
Integrations
Reporting
and:
Operational Limitations
What Agencies Can Learn From HighLevel's Growth
The founders' recognition also provides several broader business lessons.
1. Solve a Specific Market Problem
HighLevel focused heavily on the agency market.
2. Build Infrastructure Around the Customer
Agencies need more than a CRM.
They need systems for:
Leads
Follow-Up
Sales
Communication
and:
Client Delivery
3. Create Repeatability
HighLevel's sub-account and reusable-system architecture supports repeatable deployment.
4. Build an Ecosystem
Growth can become stronger when customers build businesses around the platform.
5. Continue Expanding the Product
Software businesses need continued development rather than relying permanently on their original feature set.
The Importance of the Agency Ecosystem
A useful way to understand HighLevel is:
HighLevel Builds Infrastructure
↓
Agencies Configure Infrastructure
↓
Agencies Deliver Systems
↓
SMBs Use Systems
↓
Business Results Feed Agency Retention
This creates an ecosystem rather than a simple one-time software sale.
SaaS Adds Another Layer
Eligible agencies can also move toward a software-plus-services model.
Conceptually:
Agency Expertise
HighLevel Infrastructure
Standardized Configuration
=
Recurring Client Product
An agency might package:
CRM
Lead Follow-Up
Appointment Booking
Reputation
and:
Automation
into a vertical-specific service.
Example: HVAC Agency
An HVAC-focused agency might build:
Lead Capture
↓
Immediate Follow-Up
↓
Missed Call Process
↓
Appointment Request
↓
Pipeline
↓
Review Request
The agency can then deploy a similar architecture across multiple clients.
The business value comes from:
System Design
not merely:
Software Access
Example: Dental Marketing Agency
A dental-focused implementation could include:
New Patient Inquiry
↓
CRM
↓
Follow-Up
↓
Scheduling
↓
Reminders
↓
Post-Visit Review Request
Again, the platform provides infrastructure.
The agency provides:
Strategy
Implementation
Customization
and:
Optimization
Awards Should Not Replace Due Diligence
Recognition is useful.
But agencies should never choose mission-critical software because:
The founders won an award.
Evaluate:
Does the CRM fit our process?
Can the automation support our workflows?
Can we manage multiple client accounts efficiently?
Do the economics work?
Can our team learn the platform?
Does the reporting meet our needs?
Are the integrations sufficient?
Are relevant compliance requirements addressed?
The award is one signal among many.
Platform Dependency Remains a Risk
Even with an award-winning leadership team, platform dependency deserves consideration.
An agency may become dependent on:
HighLevel Features
Pricing
APIs
Communication Infrastructure
Integrations
and:
Product Decisions
Maintain documentation.
Understand data export options.
Know which business processes depend on the platform.
Avoid assuming any SaaS product will remain unchanged forever.
Recognition Does Not Remove Operational Limitations
HighLevel may be broad, but it is not necessarily the best specialist solution for every business function.
Some organizations may still require dedicated:
Accounting
Enterprise BI
Healthcare Systems
Inventory
Field-Service Operations
Complex Project Management
or:
Industry-Specific Compliance Tools
An agency should design the stack around the client's needs rather than forcing every requirement into one platform.
Why the 2024 Award Still Matters
The award remains useful historical context because 2024 was an important period for HighLevel.
The company had:
Rapid Growth Recognition
EY Entrepreneurial Recognition
General Atlantic Investment
and:
Continued Product Expansion
That combination helps explain why HighLevel increasingly moved from being viewed as a niche agency CRM toward a broader software ecosystem.
The Founders' Roles
The three founders bring different leadership responsibilities to the business.
Shaun Clark
Chief Executive Officer.
Robin Alex
Chief Operating Officer.
Varun Vairavan
Chief Technology Officer.
Their combined recognition is notable because the EY award was not presented to only one visible founder.
All three were recognized together.
Why Joint Founder Recognition Is Interesting
Many technology-company awards focus heavily on the CEO.
In HighLevel's case:
CEO
COO
CTO
were recognized together.
That reflects a founding structure spanning:
Company Direction
Operations
and:
Technology
It also aligns with how the three founders continue appearing together in major HighLevel product and company announcements.
How the EY Judging Process Worked
EY says an independent panel selected the winners.
The judging panel included:
Previous Award Winners
Leading CEOs
and:
Other Business Leaders
Candidates were assessed using criteria involving:
Entrepreneurial Spirit
Purpose
Growth
Impact
and:
Long-Term Value Creation.
This means HighLevel did not simply award itself the recognition.
How Many Southwest Finalists Were There?
The HighLevel founders were three of 47 regional entrepreneurs selected as finalists in the 2024 Southwest program.
The official EY finalist list included entrepreneurs from companies across Texas and the surrounding Southwest program region.
HighLevel was listed in Dallas, Texas.
How Many Companies Won?
EY ultimately selected multiple Southwest Award winners.
HighLevel's founders were among that winner group rather than being the sole regional recipient.
This distinction matters when describing the achievement.
Accurate:
HighLevel's founders were Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 Southwest Award winners.
Less accurate:
HighLevel was the single EY Entrepreneur Of The Year winner for the entire Southwest.
The program recognizes multiple regional winners.
What Happened After the Regional Win?
Winning at the Southwest level made Shaun Clark, Robin Alex, and Varun Vairavan eligible for national consideration.
The next stage was the:
Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 National Awards
associated with EY's Strategic Growth Forum.
Regional winners could then progress toward broader recognition.
HighLevel's founders were subsequently recognized as national emerging finalists rather than the National Overall Award winner.
Did HighLevel Win the World Entrepreneur Of The Year Award?
No evidence from the reviewed sources supports describing HighLevel's founders as World Entrepreneur Of The Year winners.
The regional pathway potentially progresses:
Regional
↓
National
↓
World
but eligibility for a later stage is not equivalent to winning it.
For SEO content, avoid collapsing these distinctions.
Why Accuracy Matters for This Keyword
Searchers may encounter phrases such as:
HighLevel EY Entrepreneur of the Year
GoHighLevel Entrepreneur of the Year
HighLevel EY Award
or:
Shaun Clark Entrepreneur of the Year
A good answer should immediately establish:
Who?
Shaun Clark, Robin Alex, and Varun Vairavan.
What?
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 Southwest Award.
Finalist or winner?
Winner.
National overall winner?
No.
When?
That resolves the primary search intent quickly.
FAQ
Did GoHighLevel win EY Entrepreneur Of The Year?
HighLevel co-founders Shaun Clark, Robin Alex, and Varun Vairavan were named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 Southwest Award winners.
Who from HighLevel won the EY award?
The winners were HighLevel co-founders Shaun Clark, Robin Alex, and Varun Vairavan.
When did HighLevel win EY Entrepreneur Of The Year?
The founders were announced as Southwest finalists in April 2024 and as Southwest Award winners in June 2024.
Was HighLevel only an EY finalist?
No. The founders initially became 2024 Southwest finalists and subsequently won the Southwest Award.
Was HighLevel a finalist in 2023 too?
Yes. Robin Alex, Shaun Clark, and Varun Vairavan were named Entrepreneur Of The Year 2023 Southwest Award finalists.
Did HighLevel win the national EY Entrepreneur Of The Year award?
No. The 2024 Southwest win made the founders eligible for national consideration, and they were later identified as national emerging finalists, but they were not the National Overall Award winners.
Did HighLevel win the World Entrepreneur Of The Year award?
The reviewed sources do not support describing HighLevel's founders as World Entrepreneur Of The Year winners.
What region did HighLevel win?
HighLevel's founders won the 2024 Southwest Award. EY listed HighLevel in Dallas, Texas.
Was there only one Southwest winner?
No. EY selected multiple 2024 Southwest Award winners, with HighLevel's founders included among them.
How were the winners selected?
An independent judging panel evaluated candidates using criteria including entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth, impact, and long-term value creation.
How many finalists were selected?
HighLevel reported that its three founders were among 47 regional entrepreneurs selected as finalists for the 2024 Southwest program.
What does the EY award mean for HighLevel customers?
The award recognizes HighLevel's founders and their entrepreneurial leadership. It does not certify individual software features or guarantee customer results.
Does EY endorse GoHighLevel CRM?
The Entrepreneur Of The Year award should not be interpreted as an EY endorsement of every HighLevel product or feature. It is an entrepreneurial leadership award.
Why is the award relevant to agencies?
Agencies may rely heavily on HighLevel as business infrastructure, so recognition of the company's founders provides useful context around leadership, growth, and company trajectory. It should still be considered alongside product fit, pricing, reliability, and operational requirements.
What other growth recognition has HighLevel received?
HighLevel has appeared on Inc. growth rankings and Deloitte's Technology Fast 500. In Deloitte's 2025 Technology Fast 500, HighLevel ranked No. 116 with 781% growth for the applicable measurement period.
Are Shaun Clark, Robin Alex, and Varun Vairavan still involved with HighLevel?
Yes. They continued appearing as HighLevel co-founders and company leaders after the award, including presenting the company's 2026 roadmap at LevelUp 2025.
Does the EY award mean HighLevel is the best CRM?
No. The award recognizes entrepreneurship and leadership, not a comparative evaluation declaring HighLevel the best CRM.
Should an agency choose HighLevel because of the EY award?
The award can be one positive company-level signal, but an agency should choose software based primarily on feature fit, workflows, economics, reliability, client requirements, integrations, and long-term operating needs.
Conclusion
The Go High Level EY Entrepreneur of the Year story is straightforward once the different stages of the award are separated.
In April 2024:
Shaun Clark
Robin Alex
and:
Varun Vairavan
were selected as:
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2024 Southwest Award Finalists.
Then, in June:
Finalists
↓
became
↓
Southwest Award Winners.
That is the key fact.
The HighLevel founders did not merely receive a nomination.
They won at the Southwest regional level.
The regional win subsequently qualified them for national consideration, although they should not be described as the 2024 National Overall Award winners.
The recognition also fits into a broader HighLevel growth timeline.
Before the award, the company had already appeared on:
Inc. growth rankings
and:
Deloitte Technology Fast 500.
During 2024, HighLevel also received a minority growth investment from General Atlantic and continued expanding its product ecosystem.
Afterward, the company continued developing:
CRM
Automation
AI
SaaS
Funnels
Websites
Communications
and:
Agency Infrastructure
while its founders remained highly visible in product strategy and company events.
By Deloitte's 2025 Technology Fast 500, HighLevel ranked No. 116 with reported growth of 781% for the ranking period.
For agencies, the EY recognition should therefore be understood as:
Evidence of recognized entrepreneurial leadership
rather than:
Proof that every HighLevel feature is superior to every alternative.
The distinction matters.
A strong agency software decision still requires evaluating:
Current Features
Pricing
Automation
AI
Sub-Account Management
Integrations
Reporting
Reliability
Client Requirements
But company leadership matters too—particularly when an agency plans to build processes, recurring services, or SaaS offerings around a platform for years.
In that context, the 2024 EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Southwest Award is a meaningful milestone in HighLevel's company history and a useful part of understanding how its founders and agency-centered platform progressed from a fast-growing software business into a much larger marketing technology ecosystem.