Emiliano Void: Young Entrepreneur of the Year
by Small Business Administration Starting your own business can be an exciting and rewarding experience. It offers numerous advantages, such as being your own boss, setting your own schedule and earning a living doing something you love. But entrepreneurship also brings with it 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: innovativeness, creativity, persistence, resiliency, flexibility and passion.
Photo: Emiliano Void, founder and CEO of nuWave Equity Corp. Courtesy photo.
Void, a Montreal native and nine-year resident of Vermont, began building nuWave — a diversity, equity and inclusion consulting and technology business — a couple of years ago.
He helps clients find solutions to systemic inequities that people face in everyday life in their work environment, and in their communities.
“We leverage technology as a tool to be able to measure objectively what’s going on in spaces and then improve the impact of the recommendations and interventions that we put together. It’s an interesting way to take a look at qualitative and quantitative elements of what’s happening in any organization and then be able to move organizations more in line with higher performance, greater retention and overall sentiment for employee satisfaction.“
U.S. Census Bureau data reveals that over half of business owners are older than 55, while a mere 6% are 34 or younger – the age group Void fell into when he embarked on his entrepreneurial journey.
Although Void didn’t launch his business right away, his enthusiasm and commitment to his current endeavor are clear. He chose Vermont as a place to settle and establish himself, drawn to its potential for growth and exploration, despite its lack of racial diversity.
Initially, he worked for Dealer.com, which was later acquired by Cox Automotive. During his time there, he became involved in community efforts within the company, such as founding a Black-focused employee resource group. This experience inspired him to pursue his passion and start his own venture.
“A lot of folks were really rallying around the kind of work that we were doing, so I thought it was important to commit to that work in a full capacity,“ Void said.
Void’s contributions to his community in Burlington, both through his professional career and personal endeavors, have had a significant impact.
“The work nuWave does is not measured in accolades, but in the ability to create change in its community,“ Void said.
In that regard, nuwave has been committed and successful in bringing additional visibility and opportunities to underrepresented and underserved communities through its work with its clients, its community-based efforts as well as its involvement with schools and youth.“
Given the significant role community plays in Void’s business and personal journey, it’s important to acknowledge the valuable support and resources he received from numerous individuals and organizations along the way.
Among the resources Void leveraged during nuwave’s early stages was the Vermont Small Business Development Center, a valuable resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Since 1992, VtSBDC has offered expert advice and supportive guidance to countless entrepreneurs like Void. He specifically utilized VtSBDC’s services to refine nuwave’s market strategy and finalize its business plan.
Void continues to expand his business and offers this advice to aspiring entrepreneurs: “Never be your first no. The world will be glad to let you know that it doesn’t think that you can be successful, that you aren’t the right person or that it isn’t the right product or the right time. Let the world be the one to push back. Not being your first no allows you to step into a space and find out what you can do.“
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