Arete CEO Joe Mann wins EY Florida Entrepreneur award

Joe Mann, founder and CEO of Arete, was named an EY US Entrepreneur Of The Year 2026 Florida Award winner in Boca Raton. The recognition puts Mann in line for national judging later this year as Arete’s cyber extortion and financial crime response business gains further visibility. Why it matters: - The award highlights leaders building long-term value through growth, purpose and impact. - For Arete, the recognition elevates a company focused on cyber extortion, financial crime and the resilience of digital infrastructure. - Mann now advances into the next round of EY’s Entrepreneur Of The Year program, with national recognition on the line. What happened: - EY named Joe Mann, founder and CEO of Arete, a US Entrepreneur Of The Year 2026 Florida Award winner. - Mann was selected in Boca Raton, Florida, from nearly 35 program participants across 17 regions. - The field included 592 finalists competing for the title. The details: - Mann built his career in telecommunications at the intersection of technology, government and critical infrastructure. - He founded Arete after seeing a gap in protection for digital infrastructure as ransomware and financially motivated cybercrime increased. - Arete grew from fewer than 10 people to more than 400 professionals. - The company works with companies, insurers, financial institutions and governments worldwide. - Arete says it helps organizations make confident, compliant and defensible decisions across response, remediation, recovery and payment. - Mann said the award recognition belongs to the Arete team and its work to transform responses to cyber extortion and financial crime. - Mann said Arete was founded to protect the digital infrastructure that underpins modern economies and to help organizations make defensible decisions during crises. - The Entrepreneur Of The Year program is now in its 41st year. - The program honors original founders, transformational CEOs and multigenerational family business leaders. - Regional winners are chosen by an independent panel of past winners, top CEOs and business leaders. - Judges evaluate long-term value creation, entrepreneurial spirit, purpose-driven commitment, growth and impact. - As a Florida award winner, Mann will be considered by national judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2026 National Awards in November at the Strategic Growth Forum®. - The national overall winner will advance to the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in May 2027. - The program has recognized entrepreneurs including Jason McGowan of Crumbl Cookies, Reid Hoffman and Jeff Weiner of LinkedIn Corp., Saeju Jeong of Noom, Allison Ellsworth and Stephen Ellsworth of Poppi, and Arthur Blank of the Atlanta Falcons and The Home Depot. - Entrepreneur Of The Year is founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP. - Presenting sponsors include PNC Bank, Cresa, Marsh Risk, SAP and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. - Florida sponsors also include Selective Insight as regional Gold sponsor and ADP as regional Silver sponsor. - The program has honored more than 11,000 business leaders in the US since 1986. - The program now spans nearly 60 countries and territories globally. - The US program includes 17 regional programs. - Regional judges select winners every June. - National finalists and winners are announced at the Strategic Growth Forum® in November. - More information is available at ey.com/us/eoy . - Arete’s LinkedIn page is here . Between the lines: - The win places Arete in a broader category of founders and CEOs being rewarded for scaling businesses tied to resilience and critical infrastructure. - The program’s judging criteria suggest EY is looking for durable growth and mission-driven leadership, not just revenue or size. - Mann’s path from telecom to cyber response reflects how security, finance and infrastructure have converged into one business problem. What’s next: - Mann will move into national judging for the EY US Entrepreneur Of The Year 2026 program. - National awards will be presented in November at the Strategic Growth Forum®. - The national overall winner will compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in May 2027. - Arete is likely to use the recognition to reinforce its position with clients in cyber response and recovery.