Times Square Billboard
Your name and brand featured on a digital billboard in the center of New York City, timed to the public announcement in January 2027.
The Annual CPG Founder Award · Class of 2027
The Brand Builder 20
Recognizing the twenty CPG founders building brands that last.
Applications open July 2026 — closes September 15, 2026.
20
Honorees Selected
$5M+
Minimum Revenue
200+
Media Outlets
NYC
Times Square Billboard
01 · Why This Exists
The operators building these brands never get the recognition they deserve.
Every year the trade press celebrates the exit, the raise, the acquisition. Almost never the person who spent four years reformulating a product nobody would fund, defending a listing against counterfeiters at 2 a.m., and rebuilding a supply chain after it collapsed twice.
The Brand Builder 20 exists to recognize founders, not just brands. We are not scoring valuations. We are honoring the operators who turned a physical product into a durable business through discipline, taste, and refusal to quit.
We don't recognize the brand. We recognize the person who refused to let it fail.
02 · What Winners Receive
Recognition that reaches beyond the industry.
Podcast Feature Interview
A long-form recorded conversation about how you built the brand — released as a dedicated episode in the honoree series.
National Online Media Coverage
Editorial placement and syndicated coverage distributed across more than 200 online media outlets.
Annual Industry Report Feature
A permanent profile in the annual Brand Builder 20 report, referenced by operators, investors, and retail buyers.
03 · Selection Criteria
No single metric determines selection. We are looking for the complete brand builder.
Revenue Growth
Sustained, defensible growth — not a single viral quarter.
Brand Defense
Protecting the listing, the IP, and the reputation from erosion.
Market Expansion
New channels, categories, or geographies opened with intent.
Innovation
Product, packaging, or model decisions the category later followed.
Founder Story
The conviction and judgment that carried the brand through its hardest year.
Judged as a Whole
No single criterion outweighs the rest. The panel weighs all five together — the complete brand builder, not the strongest line item.
04 · Timeline
From application to the billboard.
- July – Sep 15, 2026 Applications Open
- Sep 16 – Oct 15, 2026 Shortlist Notified & Interviews Scheduled
- Oct 16 – Nov 15, 2026 Podcast Interviews Conducted
- November 2026 Winners Selected
- January 2027 Public Announcement & Billboard Launch
- Q1 2027 Podcast Episodes & Report Released
05 · Who Qualifies
Built for founders who did the work.
- $5M+ annual revenue
- Active ecommerce presence
- CPG or physical product brand
- Founder or C-Suite nominee
06 · Selection Panel
Evaluated by active practitioners.
The Brand Builder 20 selection panel is comprised of active CPG operators, marketplace strategists, and retail industry practitioners who evaluate all candidates anonymously to prevent bias.
07 · Application
Submit Your Application.
Applications for the Class of 2027 close September 15, 2026. Every field helps the panel understand the brand behind the numbers.
Application received.
Thank you for submitting to The Brand Builder 20. If your brand advances, a member of the selection team will reach out to schedule an interview between September 16 and October 15, 2026. Watch your inbox — and your spam folder.