Judges including Russell Wilson, Sheryl Sandberg, Alex Rodriguez, Mellody Hobson, Ciara and Reid Hoffman will help sort through nominations and select the super-achievers on their way to huge success.
Different than our “counting” lists, such as Billionaires or Self-Made Women, which numerically chronicle those at the very top, or achievement lists like the Midas List or 30 Under 30, which reward immediate past results, the Next 1000 will seek and highlight doers, overcoming any and all obstacles to get there. These types of journeys tend to prove the most inspiring and, in finding them, we hope to elevate a new class of super-achievers.
This criteria will produce a list that looks like America, providing a platform for under-represented communities. Besides the racial, ethnic and gender diversity that will naturally occur by focusing on bootstrappers, we’ve designed the Next 1000 for geographic representation, carving up the country into eight zones, each with their own nomination pools, since amazing nascent entrepreneurs exist in every state, not just the coasts.
shame on you Americans