Don Receives Founders Award at NJPAC’s 20th Anniversary Gala

Don received the inaugural Founders Award at NJPAC’s 20-year anniversary celebration for his commitment to Newark’s revitalization, including moving Audible to the city in 2007 and launching Newark Venture Partners to catalyze the city’s tech ecosystem.

Don was introduced by NJPAC’s founding chair and philanthropist Ray Chambers before more than 1,000 guests at the gala in late September. In his speech, Don urged the audience to move their companies to Newark, back local businesses or invest in NVP.

“I continually celebrate moving Audible to Newark ten years ago as one of the best decisions we made as a company — over a history that included many near-death experiences early on, to today’s reality of a level of growth at scale that has exceeded my dreams,” Don said. “We came here hoping to find out what a company can mean in ways that can transcend what it does.”

Newark’s resurgence isn’t inevitable but early-stage tech @NewarkVC joining forces with anchors like @NJPAC is catalyzing a historic turnaround

— Donald Katz (@Don_Katz) September 24, 2017

This honor means a great deal to me. Joining @NJPAC in Newark 10 yrs ago is one of the best decisions @audible_com made #NJPACgala https://t.co/BQwE04mexB

— Donald Katz (@Don_Katz) September 24, 2017