EY names 5 Virginians Mid-Atlantic Entrepreneurs of the Year

Five Virginia business leaders have been named winners of Ernst & Young‘s Mid-Atlantic Entrepreneur of the Year Award for 2025.

The winners, named Wednesday by the Big Four global professional services company, are:

• Jeff Beck, CEO and co-founder of AnswersNow in Richmond
• Greg Craddock, CEO of Patriot Group International in Warrenton
• Shubhi Mishra, founder and CEO of Raft in McLean
• Ahmad Nassar, CEO of Winners Alliance in Tysons
• Mark Drever, founding partner and CEO of Xcelerate Solutions in McLean

The five are among the 12 mid-Atlantic winners EY recognized, honoring entrepreneurs and businesses from Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. An independent panel of past winners, top CEOs and business leaders chose the regional winners, who will now to on to compete for the national awards later this year.

The candidates were judged on long-term value creation, entrepreneurial spirit, commitment, significant growth and impact. EY founded its EOY award in 1986. While the program has expanded to nearly 60 countries globally, in the U.S. the award is divided into 17 regions.

According to EY, Beck was chosen for revolutionizing virtual applied behavior analysis therapy for children with autism — slashing wait times from over a year to just five days. AnswersNow uses a proprietary digital platform and a network of Ph.D. and master’s-level therapists in centralized locations.

EY selected Craddock for being a key player in national security and government services, with a spokesperson saying he demonstrated “resilience and growth in a competitive GovCon sector.” Patriot Group International delivers mission support services for clients in the intelligence, defense and private sectors.

Mishra was honored for her “leadership in innovative solutions.” Raft is a defense tech company that specializes in autonomous data fusion, agentic artificial intelligence and legacy system modernization. Its work solves challenges for the U.S. Department of Defense and national security agencies, aiding decision-making across air, land, sea, space and cyber domains.

Nassar’s Winners Alliance represents and commercializes the group name, image and likeness rights of professional athletes worldwide. The organization creates group licensing, sponsorship, content and investment opportunities.

Drever was recognized for spearheading growth in cybersecurity consulting and safeguarding federal clients. Xcelerate Solutions is a national security company that helps federal agencies defend themselves from evolving cyber threats.

“All of these entrepreneurs are on a mission to solve problems and shape the future, and their journeys are truly inspirational,” Steve Canaras, program co-director of EOY Mid-Atlantic, said in a statement. “It’s an honor to give them the recognition they deserve through our program.”

The winners will now move on to be considered for the Entrepreneur of the Year national awards, set to be presented in November.