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The International Business Awards, also known as the International Stevies, were created in 2002 to recognize the achievements of organizations worldwide. Today, they attract thousands of nominations and have quickly become some of the most coveted global honors for any dedicated professional.
Online Trading Academy (OTA) has now won three Stevies in two years, a feat made possible by the company’s forward-thinking approach to education. We’ll look at why OTA was selected by the Stevies, how the company has made strong headway in a saturated market by winning numerous other awards, and the bright future that it has on the horizon.
The Product Innovation Award
In 2019, OTA took home a Bronze Award for Technical Innovation of the Year. This category was originally designed for companies with 1,000 employees or less. In 2020, the category structure was expanded to allow more companies to apply. Now, any company is eligible, regardless of how many people are under its umbrella.
Because the product innovation category was broader than the previous year, it made it that much harder to beat out the competition. Larger companies with more employees tend to have more resources, but OTA still managed to snag the Bronze Award.
The Stevie Awards
There are eight different programs offered by the Stevie Awards, and each program has a designated focus and schedule. Altogether, there are more than 12,000 nominations across the spectrum. Officials have a category specifically for American businesses, but they also allow the international community to compete.
Regardless of whether the company is public or private, for profit or nonprofit, the International Stevies seeks out professionals who uphold their companies’ guiding principles on a daily basis. Nominations can be made either by organizations or individuals. In 2020, the competition saw thousands of nominations from dozens of nations.
Online Trading Academy’s Promise
Online Trading Academy has been instrumental in bringing students from all backgrounds to the investment table. Trading is a notoriously complicated game that is fraught with potential financial ruin around every corner. But OTA garnered praise from the judges because the company focuses on what instruction could mean for an individual’s long-term financial future.
A typical brokerage might focus on how to convince students to sign up for trading. In this case, the brokerage would be creating a pitch for its own revenue base. With OTA, the motivation behind each course which it offers is pure. Students will only use their knowledge and skills to make informed financial decisions for themselves and their families.
The goal of OTA is to democratize financial education for anyone who wants it. The products that the company has developed make it possible for student to get the instruction they need online. They have access to actionable and educational tools on a platform that is straightforward to use and navigate. The judges of the Stevies have described their products as game changing.
Additional Honors
The judges of the IBA are not the only ones who have noticed OTA’s efforts. In 2020, The EdTech Awards named OTA as a finalist for Innovation in Student Engagement in the edtech trendsetter category. OTA was judged for not only its clarity and support but also its overall value and results.
The Franchise Business Review named OTA a top 50 Franchise in 2020, with a 14th overall ranking and 3rd in the education category. This recognition came after the panel whittled down a list of more than 300 franchise brands. Officials judged potential winners on everything from core values to training to the emotional connection to the products.
Finally, the Orange County Business Journal recognized the founder of OTA, Eyal Shahar, as a top innovator in the area. There are more than 120,000 businesses in Orange County, but his leadership and vision have made it possible for the company to stand out.
Making Moves
Despite general economic uncertainty, OTA continues to grow. The company recently opened a third brick-and-mortar location in the greater Phoenix area in an effort to keep up with the demand there. OTA is also dedicated to pushing the financial education industry in the right direction. Education technology has come a long way, but it can still be a struggle to achieve the same interaction as in-person instruction.
