Michael Hendrix named ECU Entrepreneur of the Year ahead of Annual Limes Lecture

ADA, Okla. - Michael Hendrix has been named the 2024 Smith Center for Entrepreneurship Entrepreneur of the Year at East Central University. He will be presented with the award at the Annual Limes Lecture Wednesday, Nov. 13 at 11:45 a.m., following the Tiger Tank Pitch Competition Event at 9 a.m.

Hendrix' career spans over four decades, where he has brought extensive executive management and investment expertise to various ventures, continually seeking new opportunities to deliver exceptional results for partners, investors and fellow entrepreneurs.

His career began with 15 years in executive leadership, predominantly within the tech and telecommunications sectors, where he contributed to the success of several high-growth startups that were ultimately acquired by industry-leading manufacturers. This deep experience in mergers and acquisitions afforded him valuable insights into early-stage business development and growth strategies.

He then embarked on the next phase of his career by founding Global Holdings, a payment processing company, where he served as CEO for 15 years. Under his leadership, the company grew significantly, ultimately culminating in a highly successful acquisition by a prominent New York venture capital firm.

Today, as the founder of Kalypso Investments, he applies his vast industry knowledge and entrepreneurial acumen to identify and cultivate strategic investment opportunities.

The Annual Limes Lecture is named for Leonard Limes, who attended ECU in the 1940's. He established the lectureship in 2000 with a $25,000 gift to the ECU Foundation. Limes' vision was to bring entrepreneurs who would tell their stories to inspire ECU students and the community. The inspiration would lead entrepreneurs to create companies, wealth and jobs for Oklahoma's economy.

The Annual Tiger Tank Pitch Competition calls for individual students, or teams, to pitch new business ideas that are product or service oriented and be able to answer questions about the pitch, idea and opportunity. It is divided into three categories including high school, collegiate and advanced collegiate.

For more information, contact Stacey Bolin, Wilburn L. Smith Center for Entrepreneurship Director, at 580-559-5596 or email [email protected].

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