Ventura area company ranked among 100 Fastest-Growing Veteran-Owned Businesses
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 3, 2023 – Pray.com, the #1 app for daily prayer and faith-based content, has been named to the annual Vet100 list—a compilation of the nation’s fastest growing veteran-owned businesses. The ranking, created in partnership with Inc. Business Media and Syracuse University's D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), was born out of the iconic Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies based in the U.S. Both distinctions are considered hallmarks of entrepreneurial success.
“It was an honor to make the Inc. 5000 list, which we credit to the tens of millions of individuals who’ve turned to Pray.com and its content for spiritual support; now to be recognized on the Vet100 is even more meaningful,” said Pray.com CEO and Founder Steve Gatena. “Pray.com’s team is a reflection of the mission it pursues, values it lives, and customers it serves, which include members of the armed forces community.”
In addition to being named #1 in its market on the 2023 Inc. 5000 list, Pray.com was #3 in the media industry, #27 in the state and #116 overall, placing it at #15 on the Vet100 list. Pray was also named to Inc.’s 2023 Best Workplaces list and these special categories: Established Excellence: 5-14 years in business; Prosperous and Thriving: $5MM – $50MM in gross revenue; Micro: Employee size 10-49; and Pacific Region: AK, CA, HI, OR, WA. In addition, Pray.com was named to the Inc. 2022 Best in Business list in the General Excellence category last December, making it the first religious media company to be recognized for this award.
“Economic prosperity is so important to so many aspects of American life, from home and main street to even our standing in the world,” says Scott Omelianuk, Inc. Business Media’s Editor in Chief. “Given that prosperity is driven by small business, and given, we now know, the impact Veteran founders have on that small business, we can only continue to recognize them and say, again, thank you for your service.”
“In almost every industry we see veteran-owned businesses excelling by applying leadership and management skills they learned from their military service and having tremendous impact in their communities,” said Dr. Mike Haynie, Syracuse University Vice Chancellor as well as the Founder and Executive Director of the IVMF. “Veteran entrepreneurs are a critical component of the small business landscape, and we’re excited to see some of our program graduates recognized by Inc., particularly those who are enjoying recurring placement on the Vet100 list. We appreciate Inc.’s commitment to highlighting these success stories. One specific area we’re proud to see growth this year is the number of those businesses whose veteran business owners are women. All of us here at the IVMF take pride in moments like these and we’re grateful for the continued partnership with Inc.”
For more information on the Vet100 list, visit: https://ivmf.syracuse.edu/vet100/
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Media Contacts:
Melany Ethridge
melany@alarryross.com
214-912-8934
About Pray.com
Founded in 2016 with a mission to grow faith and cultivate community, Pray.com is the world’s No. 1 app for daily prayer and Bible based audio content. Reaching more than 14 million people world-wide through its mobile app and website, it is the easiest way to incorporate prayer into your daily life. Pray.com provides encouragement and inspiration through daily devotionals, Pastor podcasts, and Bedtime Bible Stories. It launched “Bible in a Year with Jack Graham” earlier this year, which rocketed to #1 on the Spotify religion list. Its newest podcast, “Sleep Psalms with Bishop T.D. Jakes,” launches this month. Pray.com founders are Steve Gatena, Michael Lynn, Ryan Beck and Matthew Potter. See https://alarryross.com/pray-com for more information.
About Inc. Business Media and the Inc. 5000
The world’s most trusted business-media brand, Inc. Business Media offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest- growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. Business Media. For more information, visit
About Syracuse University’s D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families
Syracuse University's D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) delivers no-cost career training and entrepreneurship programs across the US and globally. And we help ease the transition after service back into communities for service members, veterans and their families as well as prepare them for successful careers and business ownership. We've supported over 200,000 to date. It's our mission to support theirs. For more information, visit ivmf.syracuse.edu and follow the IVMF on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.