Charlottesville, Virginia – June 24, 2026 – Neal Piper, Founder and CEO of Luminoah, has been named an EY US Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2026 Mid-Atlantic Award winner. Piper was selected from nearly 1,000 program participants, including 592 finalists across 17 regions, in recognition of his entrepreneurial leadership, innovation, and commitment to improving the lives of patients and caregivers.

In 2020, as Neal’s son underwent cancer treatment and relied on enteral nutrition, the family experienced firsthand how outdated and burdensome current feeding technology remains for patients and caregivers. Inspired by this experience, Neal founded Luminoah to modernize enteral nutrition through connected technology, real time data, and personalized insights.

Today, Luminoah is transforming enteral nutrition through Luminoah Flow™, a personalized nutrition platform designed to bring greater visibility, insight, and personalization to care. By combining smart hardware, connected software, and real time data, Luminoah helps patients, caregivers, and clinicians make more informed decisions through actionable nutritional insights.

The recognition comes during a transformative year for Luminoah. In April 2026, the company received FDA clearance for Luminoah Flow™. In early July, Luminoah will begin shipping its first commercial systems to leading health systems across the United States, marking the start of patient use of the platform.

“I am humbled to stand among this group of extraordinary leaders,” said Piper. “What began as a deeply personal challenge for our family became a mission to improve the lives of millions of people who rely on enteral nutrition. This recognition reflects the dedication of the entire Luminoah team, the support of our partners and investors, and most importantly the patients and caregivers who inspire everything we do.”

Now in its 41st year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program honors business leaders for their ingenuity, courage, and entrepreneurial spirit. It celebrates founders and executives who create long term value through innovation, purpose driven leadership, and meaningful impact.

Regional winners were chosen by an independent panel of past winners, top CEOs and business leaders. Judges assessed candidates on long-term value creation, entrepreneurial spirit, purpose-driven commitment, and significant growth and impact.

As a Mid-Atlantic award winner, Neal Piper will now be considered by the national judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2026 National Awards, which will be presented in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum®, where high-growth CEOs, Fortune 1000 executives and investors converge to shape the future of business. The National Overall Award winner will move on to compete for the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ Award in May 2027.  

The Entrepreneur Of The Year program has recognized the leadership of entrepreneurs such as:

Sponsors

Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards include presenting sponsors PNC Bank, Cresa, LLC, Marsh Risk, SAP and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In the Mid-Atlantic, sponsors also include regional platinum sponsor ADP, regional gold sponsors Cooley and DLA Piper, and regional silver sponsor Stagedge.  

About Entrepreneur Of The Year    

Founded in 1986, Entrepreneur Of The Year® has celebrated more than 11,000 ambitious visionaries who are leading successful, dynamic businesses in the US, and it has since expanded to nearly 60 countries and territories globally.

The US program consists of 17 regional programs whose panels of independent judges select the regional award winners every June. Those winners compete for national recognition at the Strategic Growth Forum® in November where national finalists and award winners are announced. The national overall winner represents the US at the EY World Entrepreneur Of The Year™ competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.                                                                                                                   

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