Sarah Kauss, S'well named a 2014 EY North American Entrepreneurial Winning Woman

Sarah Kauss is one of 13 winners recognized in the US and Canada with this prestigious award

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Nov 13, 2014, 03:03 ET

NEW YORK, Nov. 13, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- EY announced that Sarah Kauss, S'well was named one of 13 winners of the 2014 class of EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women, a national competition and ongoing executive leadership program that identifies a select group of high-potential women entrepreneurs whose businesses show real potential to scale. Launched seven years ago, the Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ program aims to help increase the number of market-leading businesses run by women entrepreneurs.

Sarah Kauss designed and developed the first "hydration accessory" bottle, which keeps drinks cold for 24 hours and hot for 12. S'well bottles are sold in 35 countries and thousands of stores, including J. Crew and Nordstrom, and to direct customers such as Facebook, Microsoft and the TED Conference. S'well is the only bottle that looks great and does good, with donations made to charity partners for every bottle sold. Sarah was listed on Fortune's "40 Under 40" list in 2014, and in the same year was honored with the designation by Ernst and Young as an Entrepreneurial Winning Woman. Sarah is a graduate of the Harvard Business School, MBA class of 2003 and earned a BS in Business with an emphasis in Accounting from the University of Colorado.

"As an Alumni of Ernst & Young, I especially am thrilled to be named an EY Entrepreneurial Winning Woman and to be included in such an accomplished group of amazing women business leaders," said Sarah Kauss. "I am looking forward the Strategic Growth Forum and for the program to officially begin!"

According to an independent assessment by Babson College, the program is working: North American program participant companies' total 2013 revenue was 63% higher than their total revenues in the years before they joined the program. Individual participants average 20% revenue growth annually; in the second year of participation, however, their companies have been known to grow up to 50%. Winners also report increases in entrepreneurial confidence, growth goals, networks and media visibility, to name a few.

Past winners have included: Jessica Herrin, founder and CEO of Stella & Dot; Alexa Van Tobel, founder and CEO of LearnVest.com; Lisa Stone, co-founder and CEO of BlogHer; Kara Goldin, founder and CEO of Hint; and Raegan Moya-Jones, founder and CEO of Aden + Anais.

"The Entrepreneurial Winning Women program has grown into a highly impactful platform that helps female entrepreneurs accelerate key corporate goals, in turn enabling them to grow rapidly," said Kerrie MacPherson, Principal and North American Entrepreneurial Winning

Women Executive Sponsor, Ernst & Young LLP. "Sarah Kauss is an exceptional business leader with great potential. We are pleased to honor her as one of this year's winners."

Launched in 2008, the program is intended to help women entrepreneurs break through the barriers that keep thriving second-stage businesses from scaling to their full potential. Once selected, the entrepreneurs participate in an ongoing, customized program designed by EY to catalyze their companies' growth by building and fostering critical relationships, enhancing leadership skills, expanding business know-how and providing increased visibility. They are coached on the five crucial leaps they need to scale up their business:

Thinking big and being bold;
Building a public profile;
Working on the business, rather than in it;
Finding and establishing the right networks;
Evaluating financing for expansion.

The 13 members of the Entrepreneurial Winning Women Class of 2014 also received an all-expense paid trip to this year's EY Strategic Growth Forum^®, an invitation-only gathering of more than 2,000 high-growth, market-leading company CEOs being held this week in Palm Springs, California. The Forum presents a one-of-a-kind platform for Entrepreneurial Winning Women to introduce their companies and share their corporate and personal brands with a community of EY Entrepreneur Of The Year^® winners, top executives, prospective investors and business advisors. All 2014 Entrepreneurial Winning Women will be introduced and honored at a special celebratory luncheon during the Forum. For more information on the Forum, visit: www.ey.com/us/strategicgrowthforum.

The distinguished panel of independent judges for the Entrepreneurial Winning Women program included:

Cynthia Cohen, CEO, Strategic Mindshare
Mike Cohen, Managing General Partner, VGPartners
Laurie Cunnington, President, Cunnington & Cunnington (former President of Ward Williston Oil Company)
Joy Taylor, Co-Founder and CEO, TayganPoint Consulting

The Entrepreneurial Winning Women program is conducted in collaboration with several organizations that encourage the development of women-owned businesses, including the Women Presidents' Organization (WPO), the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC), the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), The Committee of 200 (C200), Golden Seeds, the Kauffman Foundation, Babson College's Center for Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership and the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. For more information on the program, visit www.ey.com/us/entrepreneurialwinningwomen.

About S'well
S'well was founded by Sarah Kauss in 2010 with a mission to merge style and function. When designing the S'well bottle, Sarah aimed to create a beautifully crafted, fashionable bottle composed of non-leaching and non-toxic 18/8 stainless steel which keeps drinks cold for 24 hours and hot for 12 while giving back to those in need. S'well is a charitable community member and proud partner of charitable organizations such as WaterAid, American Forests, and Drink Up. S'well bottles are available for purchase at www.swellbottle.com and at thousands of stores worldwide, including retail partners such as J. Crew, Holt Renfrew, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, The Museum of Modern Art, ABC Carpet and Home, Williams Sonoma and Starbucks. For more information please visit www.swellbottle.com.

About EY's Strategic Growth Markets Practice
Ernst & Young LLP's Strategic Growth Markets (SGM) practice guides leading high-growth companies. Our multi-disciplinary team of elite professionals provides perspective and advice to help our clients accelerate the path to market leadership. SGM delivers assurance, tax, transactions and advisory services to thousands of companies spanning all industries. EY is the undisputed leader in taking companies public, advising key government agencies on the issues impacting high-growth companies and convening the experts who shape the business climate. For more information, please visit us at www.ey.com/us/strategicgrowthmarkets, or follow news on Twitter @EY_Growth.

About EY
EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit ey.com.

This news release has been issued by Ernst & Young LLP, an EY member firm serving clients in the US.

Media Contact:
Katie Garbis
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SOURCE S'well