ReachLink Founder James Farese Featured on Forbes NEXT 1000 List 2021

December 20, 2021

FROM FORBES

America is rich in small businesses. To shine a light on these entrepreneurial heroes, Forbes created the Next 1000. This year-round initiative showcases the ambitious sole proprietors, self-funded shops and pre-revenue startups in every region of the country—all with under $10 million in revenue or funding and infinite drive and hustle. Fueled by your nominations and screened by top business minds and entrepreneurial superstars, the four installments culminate in a list of 1,000 new faces who are redefining what it means to build and run a business today. Take a look at winter 2021’s class of 250 standouts.

METHODOLOGY

The Next 1000 is driven by public submissions. The idea is that this list is open to all U.S. small business founders and owners, as long as they have been operating for a minimum of one year with a maximum of $10M in annual revenue or Series A funding. It is decidedly not bound by connections or education and committed to diversity and inclusion, geographic balance and entrepreneurs who are making a difference. Experienced Forbes reporters and editors review and vet the online applications, taking into account revenue, funding and scalability and also personal story and community or industry impact. A panel of top business minds and entrepreneurial superstars (see below in acknowledgements) then evaluate and score the semi-finalists. Top editors tabulate the results and confirm all finalists’ applications. Once a quarter 250 names will be announced across all Forbes platforms, culminating in 1,000 honorees selected from all eight regions of the U.S.

JUDGES

Melissa Bradley, founder, 1863 Ventures, cofounder, Ureeka
Jean Case, chair, the National Geographic Society, CEO, the Case Impact Network
Ciara, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter
Tom Colicchio, chef and owner, Crafted Hospitality
Ayesha Curry, entrepreneur, restaurateur, New York Times bestselling author
Philip Gaskin, vice president of Entrepreneurship, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
Maëlle Gavet, CEO, Techstars
Carla Harris, vice chair and managing director, Morgan Stanley
Meena Harris, founder and CEO, Phenomenal, New York Times bestselling author
Mellody Hobson, co-CEO and president, Ariel Investments
Reid Hoffman, cofounder, LinkedIn, partner, Greylock
David Lawee, founder and general partner, Capital G
Aileen Lee, founder and managing partner, Cowboy Ventures
Asahi Pompey, president, Goldman Sachs Foundation, global head of corporate engagement, Goldman Sachs
Alex Rodriguez, founder and CEO of A-Rod Corp, World Series champion, baseball legend
Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook, founder, LeanIn.Org and OptionB.org
Lilly Singh, comedian and host, NBC’s A Little Late with Lilly Singh
Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks quarterback & Super Bowl champion