David Lecko and Dave Oster of DealMachine Operations, Inc. named Entrepreneur Of The Year 2026 Heartland finalists by EY US
EY US celebrates ambitious entrepreneurs shaping the future of business
St. Louis, MO, April 29, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- David Lecko and Dave Oster, co-founders / co-CEOs of DealMachine Operations, Inc., have been named as finalists for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 2026 Heartland Award by Ernst & Young LLP (EY US). Now in its 41st year, the Entrepreneur Of The Year program celebrates the bold leaders who disrupt markets through the world’s most ground-breaking companies, revolutionizing industries and uplifting communities. The program honors entrepreneurs whose innovations drive economic growth and help shape the future of business.
An independent panel of judges selected David and Dave among 28 finalists based on their entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, company growth, and lasting impact in building long-term value.
"It's an honor to be named finalists for Entrepreneur Of The Year, the world's most prestigious business award recognizing original founders, multigenerational family business leaders, and transformational CEOs," said David Lecko and Dave Oster, Co-Founders of DealMachine. "This recognition is incredibly meaningful—not just personally, but as a reflection of what our entire team has built together at DealMachine. Three years ago, DealMachine was simply a driving-for-dollars app. Today, it's a 36-person operation that shows up every day to push the product forward. We've developed into a fully-fledged real estate data platform."
Under David and Dave's leadership, the company has grown to include 170,000 investors nationwide, generating $17 million in annual revenue. Founded in 2017, DealMachine provides real estate data and lead generation software designed to help investors find and close deals. The company serves real estate investors, including wholesalers, fix-and-flip specialists, and rental property owners.
"From day one, our mission has been to give real estate investors access to the data they need to find and close deals faster, smarter, and with more confidence. We've grown by staying focused on exactly that: improving data quality, building tools that remove friction, and listening closely to the people using our platform every day. We now have more than 700 filters for users to find the leads they need. The result is over 100,000 real estate deals through the platform. By offering free skip tracing, we collectively save our users more than $20 million annually compared to legacy competitors. This recognition is also a testament to our customers who trust us with their business, and continue to push us to innovate."
Entrepreneur Of The Year honors business leaders for their ingenuity, courage and entrepreneurial spirit. The program celebrates original founders who bootstrapped their business from inception or who raised outside capital to grow their company, transformational CEOs who infused innovation into an existing organization to catapult its trajectory, and multigenerational family business leaders who reimagined a legacy business model to strengthen it for the future.
This year’s Heartland finalists represent Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska and Missouri across all industries, including technology, consumer products, manufacturing, finance and more.
Regional award winners will be announced on June 18 during a special celebration in Minneapolis and will become lifetime members of an esteemed community of Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni from around the world. The winners will then be considered by the national judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year 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.
Sponsors
Founded and produced by Ernst & Young LLP, the Entrepreneur Of The Year Awards include presenting sponsors PNC Bank, Cresa, LLC, Marsh USA, SAP, and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. In Heartland, sponsors also include regional Platinum sponsor Twin Cities Business, regional Gold sponsor Padilla, and regional Silver sponsors ADP and 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 80 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 World Entrepreneur Of The Year® competition. Visit ey.com/us/eoy.
About EY
EY is building a better working world by creating new value for clients, people, society and the planet, while building trust in capital markets.
Enabled by data, AI and advanced technology, EY teams help clients shape the future with confidence and develop answers for the most pressing issues of today and tomorrow.
EY teams work across a full spectrum of services in assurance, consulting, tax, strategy and transactions. Fueled by sector insights, a globally connected, multi-disciplinary network and diverse ecosystem partners, EY teams can provide services in more than 150 countries and territories.
All in to shape the future with confidence.
EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. Information about how EY collects and uses personal data and a description of the rights individuals have under data protection legislation are available via ey.com/privacy. EY member firms do not practice law where prohibited by local laws. For more information about their organization, please visit ey.com.
About DealMachine Operations, Inc.
DealMachine is a leading real estate investing software platform designed to help investors find, analyze, and close more deals with greater efficiency. By combining powerful property data, lead generation tools, and automated marketing capabilities in one intuitive platform, DealMachine enables users to streamline their entire acquisition process, from identifying opportunities to reaching property owners and converting leads into deals. Trusted by thousands of real estate investors nationwide, DealMachine helps users scale their businesses with data-driven insights, workflow automation, and an all-in-one solution built for modern real estate investing.
Press Inquiries
Elise Knaack
elise@dealmachine.com
574-323-3378
https://www.dealmachine.com/
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