United States
The results of the competition were announced on February 10 in Kyiv at the first Forbes Entrepreneur of the Year award ceremony.
Aleksandr Konotopskyi is a serial entrepreneur and No 28 in the ranking of the richest people in Ukraine according to Forbes. At the age of 21, he opened a security equipment online store which has grown into one of the leading security systems distributors in Ukraine. Later, Aleksandr decided to replace clunky and outdated security systems with smart and convenient gadgets. In 2011, the first Ajax security system was created. Today, Ajax Systems is the largest security systems manufacturer in Europe, producing hundreds of thousands of new generation security equipment every month and exporting it to 130 countries around the world.
In 2021, the company entered 10 new markets, opened two more R&D offices, and launched a record number of products – 18 new devices including revolutionary Fibra wired technology. The number of users has grown by half a million in a year, and today more than 1,250,000 people worldwide are protected by Ajax.
The plans for 2022 include expanding the product line with professional solutions and entering the markets of the New World, North and South America. In February 2022, Ajax Systems expanded to the Argentina market.
The shortlist of nominees for the major Forbes award included eight entrepreneurs doing business in Ukraine with an annual turnover of $50 million or more, and/or estimated at this sum, having a share of at least 25% in it, directly managing the company, and making key decisions.
The winners were chosen by the Forbes editorial board, as well as the expert jury, including directors and managing partners of Deloitte, Visa, McKinsey & Company, the European Business Association, and other international companies. They took into account the business scale, dynamics, profitability, the volume of investments, the company’s key achievements in 2020–2021, focus on innovation, and corporate policy.
