Awais, your background spans finance, tech, AI, and entrepreneurship. What inspired your move to the U.S. during the COVID era?

Much of my early career involved advising European tech companies on strategic expansion into the U.S. I realized I could serve my global clients more effectively by embedding myself in the innovation ecosystem here in the San Francisco Bay Area. It’s a space where you can truly see where the puck is going, and that’s essential for helping clients navigate financing, growth, and market entry.

You’ve worked with both global giants and startups. What excites you about small businesses?

I absolutely love the energy and creativity that comes with limited resources. There’s a fighting spirit and a scrappiness that drives innovation—not just in technology, but in operations, hiring, and strategy. Small businesses may not have scale, but they make up for it in bold execution. That lean mindset is incredibly powerful, and being part of that ecosystem is both energizing and rewarding.

“Doing one more acquisition for a company that’s done fifty is nice. But helping a small business do their first—that’s transformative.”

What are you hoping to see from businesses entering the BASA Awards?

I'm most excited to see how companies create genuine impact for their customers. At the end of the day, the goal of any business is to delight its customers. I want to see how they’ve identified a real need and crafted a delightful experience to meet it. That customer-centric innovation is what sets great businesses apart, and it's what I most enjoy discovering during the judging process.

And your words of encouragement for those thinking of applying?

We live in a time of unprecedented access to knowledge, tools, and AI-driven technologies that were once unthinkable for small businesses. Today, a startup has access to the same digital infrastructure as a Fortune 500 company. It’s an amazing era of transformation, and AI is becoming a great leveler. If you’re building something impactful, now is the time to show it. These awards are about recognizing that innovation—and inspiring others to rise with you.

“AI is a great leveler. The playing field is more even than ever before—small businesses just need to step up and seize the tools.”