Tope Awotona

Awotona was born in Lagos, Nigeria. His father was a microbiologist and entrepreneur; his mother worked at the local bank. Nevertheless, the two years helped him to assimilate and learn the culture while he planned to continue his father's legacy of entrepreneurship. He attended the University of Georgia, initially majoring in Computer Science, he later changed to Business Management Information Systems and graduated from Georgia's Terry College of Business His ethnicity is Yoruba. == Career ==

Following graduation from the University of Georgia, Awotona held different corporate jobs, including working for IBM, before joining a startup company, Perceptive Software, as an accountant executive. There he was exposed to the functions of a software business. to create a communication and scheduling software company that became Calendly. On March 4, 2025, from a slate of nominees, Awotona was the sole annual 2024 inductee into the Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia as presented by the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) "in recognition of his contributions to the industry and impact on the state, including through establishing and growing successful technology companies and organizations, job creation, and economic impact, developing breakthrough technologies, innovation, and entrepreneurship". On July 4, 2025, Awotona was named a recipient of the Carnegie Corporation of New York's Great Immigrants Award, recognizing him as a naturalized U.S. citizen who has made significant contributions to American society, democracy, and culture. == References ==