Competing with hundreds of innovative companies, TA telecom is the only African-headquartered tech company to win the Red Herring Top 100 Europe award – a prestigious recognition of the year’s most promising private technology ventures.

The Red Herring Europe 100 winners were announced on April 15 at a special awards ceremony marking the end of a two-day forum in Amsterdam where 314 finalists including TA telecom presented their winning strategies. Most companies are based in Europe with 53 based in the UK alone.

“This award is a validation of our success, and the judges’ trust in our vision, potential and capabilities,” says TA telecom Executive Chairman Amr Shady adding, “African companies are carving out their success on the global tech scene.”

Red Herring’s Top 100 Europe list has become a mark of distinction, identifying promising new companies and entrepreneurs. Red Herring’s editors were among the first to recognize that companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, Yahoo, Skype, Salesforce.com, YouTube, and eBay would change the way we live and work.

“Selecting startups that show the most potential for disruption and growth is never easy,” says Alex Vieux, publisher and CEO of Red Herring adding, “Each year, the competition gets tougher but we believe TA telecom demonstrates the vision, drive and innovation that define a Red Herring Top 100.”

Winners are selected based on their technological innovation, management strength, market size, investor record, customer acquisition, and financial health.

The Red Herring editorial team selects and evaluates companies on 20 main quantitative and qualitative criteria including disruptive impact, market footprint, proof of concept, financial performance, technology innovation, social value, quality of management, execution of strategy, and integration into their respective industries.

“We looked at hundreds and hundreds of candidates from all across the continent, and after much thought and debate, narrowed the list down to the Top 100 Winners,” says Vieux.