Silver Defender Corp - Entrepreneur of the Year

Company: Silver Defender Corp. Fort Lee, NJ
Company Description: Manufacturers of antimicrobial protected films for high touch points.
Nomination Category: Entrepreneur Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Entrepreneur of the Year - Manufacturing

Nomination Title: Zeynep “Z” Ekemen, Managing Partner of Silver Defender

Zeynep ‘Z’Ekemen, managing partner of Silver Defender, thought up her dream company when she visited a coffee shop in her neighborhood two years ago and noticed the bathroom’s lack of cleanliness. Formerly the principal of a commercial real estate firm in northern New Jersey for over a decade and an entrepreneur at heart, she envisioned a business that could help others stay cleaner and safer. She, personally, began the arduous task of meeting with scientists, testing products and establishing the business and its supply chain.

Z envisioned a complex solution to a simple problemand turned it into her dream company. Something that started from just an idea, has turned intoaproduct linehelping people on a global scale, as SilverDefender'sproducts are used on every continent.Coming into the male dominated tech industry was not always easy, but Z took the time to really understand the product she wanted to make,even meeting with theMinistry of Science and Technology at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, DC.

Silver Defender’spatent-pending antimicrobial protective films cover everything from door handles, elevator buttons and handrails to credit card machines, bathroom faucets and shopping carts. The only product of its kind to have initiated EPA pesticide registration, Silver Defender’s technology is activated by light, air pressure and touch. The proprietary designs contain an antimicrobial agent that protects the film from bacteria, mold, mildew and fungi. Silver ions react with and affect multiple sites in bacterial cells on the exterior, keeping it clean. The antimicrobial tapes, available invarious differentsizes,have the ability tocover any surface.

Silver Defender officially launched in 2018, but when the COVID-19 pandemic reached the country earlier this year, demand unsurprisingly skyrocketed. Silver Defender’s adhesive films can be found in public, nonprofit and private entities across the nation including airports, public transportation, retail locations, cruise lines, schools, hotels, government buildings and more. Notable clients include the Long Island MacArthur Airport, the World Trade Center buildings and the San Diego Zoo. Recently, through its partnership withPharmapacks– which connects consumers with their favorite health and wellness brands through popular online marketplaces including Amazon - consumers can readily order these necessary items to ensure general safety and health.
-Winner of the 2020 ISSA Innovation Awards for Services and Technology
-The only product of its kind to have initiated EPA pesticide registration
-Reachedglobal demand, withproductsdistributedto every continent
-Worked with top clients and brands includingthe Long Island MacArthur Airport, the World Trade Center buildings and the San Diego Zoo
-Broughttheirproductsto market on Amazon for the general public to have more immediate access througha partnership withPharmapacks,an e-commerce website that connects consumers with their favorite health and wellness brands through popular online marketplaces