Pat Sullivan, co-founder and CEO of Contatta and formerly co-founder and CEO of SalesLogix and ACT!, will receive yet another award for his contribution to the business world and this time its the OneNeck IT Services People’s Choice Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2014 Governor’s Celebration of Innovation Awards (GCOI) presented by Avnet, Inc., AZ Tech Council and Arizona Commerce Authority.
This Award will add to Sullivan’s impressive list of accolades, as he was named one of the “80 Most influential People in Sales and Marketing history and twice named Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” for both ACT! and SalesLogix.
“Many people are honored with “lifetime” achievement awards posthumously, so it’s a thrill to receive one while I still have some lifetime left in me,” Sullivan said with a smile. “It’s definitely an honor, but I hope no one thinks I’m done yet.”
He most certainly is not done. Sullivan launched his new startup Contatta, a collaborative email warship, in October 2013 after coming out of stealthmode, which he says, “[It’s] easily the best thing I’ve ever done.”
Contatta has raised a total of $7.9 million and plan to use their recent round to put the finishing touches on the product and push it to market with a warrior mentality. While some startups might think they need take their product to Silicon Valley, Sullivan firmly believes it’s beyond doable to build yet another successful company in Arizona.
“I’ve been in Arizona for 21 years and love it,” he said. “The tech community here is vibrant but young. Over the next two decades there are going to be many big successful companies built here. I love having the opportunity to be a part of it, and the chance to help others succeed as well.”
Related: Contatta raises $1.5M convertible round
Becoming an icon in the tech space comes with its own battle scars, and some of Sullivan’s biggest lessons he learned building companies starts with surrounding yourself with great people.
“You can’t build great companies alone. I’ve been privileged to work with some of the best and brightest people in the world. There is nothing more satisfying than doing something really hard with a team of very talented people,” Sullivan said.
Steven G. Zylstra, president and CEO of the Arizona Technology Council chimes in, “We are proud to call Pat one of our state’s own and we are looking forward to celebrating his lifetime of achievements.”
The Governor’s Celebration of Innovation will take place on November 13, 2014 at the Phoenix Convention Center, get your tickets via AZ Tech Council or click here.
Graphics provided by Contatta
