BBVA Momentum winner named to Forbes magazine list of 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneurs

HOUSTON, Dec. 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- BBVA Momentum winner Laura Hertz, founder of Gifts for Good, continues to do well by doing good. The social entrepreneur was recognized by Forbes magazine in its list of 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneurs for 2020.

Hertz's company connects corporate gift-givers to other social entrepreneurs whose products support efforts to impact homelessness, food insecurity, employment and clean water, among others.

"During our 2019 BBVA Momentum program, all the judges agreed that Gifts for Good is a solid business that's ready to scale," said BBVA Director of Communications and Responsible Business Reymundo Ocañas. "It's particularly rewarding to see that Forbes also recognizes the same potential that we saw in Laura and in her business."

BBVA Momentum is a global intensive training program for social enterprises which includes five months of online and in-person education, strategic mentorship and access to funding opportunities. The online component is provided by Headspring Executive Development, while the in-person training is delivered by experts from the University of Texas at Austin's McCombs School of Business. Throughout the program, each social entrepreneur receives support from BBVA mentors and specialists from the U.S. and abroad to aid their development of a comprehensive growth plan for their business.

At the end of the program, BBVA awards prizes to participant enterprises considered most sustainable and with the highest social impact. In addition, winners may be eligible to receive further investment opportunities, including capital to implement the growth plans developed during the program.

"The opportunity to participate in BBVA Momentum was instrumental in helping Gifts for Good move forward," said Hertz. "The skills that I acquired through the training -- combined with the invaluable mentorship -- have had a real impact on the business and positioned us well for recognition like the Forbes list."

Forbes's list is compiled based on nominations submitted, which are culled by Forbes reporters and ultimately judged by the magazine's panel of judges for the year. Past judges include internet entrepreneur Marc Benioff, venture capitalist Kirsten Green, designer Tory Burch, Nike co-founder Phil Knight and restaurateur David Chang.   

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About BBVA

BBVA Group
BBVA (NYSE: BBVA) is a customer-centric global financial services group founded in 1857. The Group has a strong leadership position in the Spanish market, is the largest financial institution in Mexico, it has leading franchises in South America and the Sunbelt Region of the United States. It is also the leading shareholder in Turkey's Garanti BBVA. Its purpose is to bring the age of opportunities to everyone, based on our customers' real needs: provide the best solutions, helping them make the best financial decisions, through an easy and convenient experience. The institution rests in solid values: Customer comes first, we think big and we are one team. Its responsible banking model aspires to achieve a more inclusive and sustainable society.

BBVA USA
In the U.S., BBVA is a Sunbelt-based financial institution that operates 642 branches, including 330 in Texas, 89 in Alabama, 63 in Arizona, 61 in California, 45 in Florida, 37 in Colorado and 17 in New Mexico. The bank ranks among the top 25 largest U.S. commercial banks based on deposit market share and ranks among the largest banks in Alabama (2nd), Texas (4th) and Arizona (6th). In the U.S., BBVA has been recognized as one of the leading small business lenders by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and ranked 8th nationally in terms of dollar volume of SBA loans originated in fiscal year 2018.

SOURCE BBVA USA