Awards Finalists
Please join us in congratulating the finalists for our 2025 Tech Titans Awards - and make plans to be there Friday, September 12 when the winners are announced.
Community Hero
The Community Hero Award recognizes an individual employed by a North Texas technology company for outstanding achievements in community service to the North Texas area.
- Abigail Erickson-Torres, Frontiers of Flight Museum
- Kris Fitzgerald, Smart Data Solutions
- Shoba Krishnamurthy, Toyota Financial Services
- Debbie Mrazek, The Sales Company
Corporate CIO/CTO Award
The Corporate CIO/CTO Award recognizes the Chief Information Officer or Corporate Technology Officer or Chief Science Officer or Chief Digitial Officer of a North Texas based technology or non-technology company for exceptional technical leadership that fostered the development or deployment of new technology resulting in significant value for the company. The company must have 2024 operating revenues of more than $200 million.
Corporate Innovation Award
The Corporate Innovation Award recognizes a company for outstanding innovation and unique accomplishments through recent or potential breakthrough technology or approach within the technology industry in North Texas for which the company owns the intellectual property or proprietary property/method OR innovated by adopting another company’s intellectual property. The company must have a corporate headquarters or a division office in North Texas with 2024 operating revenues of more than $200 million.
Emerging Company CEO Award
The Emerging Company CEO Award recognizes the CEO of a technology company headquartered in North Texas with 2024 operating revenues of at least $2 million but not more than $200 million.
- Lalit Ahluwalia, DigitalXForce
- Maria Coello, MyClick Insurance
- Laurel Hess, hampr
- Elad Inbar, RobotLAB
Emerging Company CIO/CTO Award
The Emerging Company CIO/CTO Award recognizes the Chief Information Officer or Corporate Technology or Science Officer of a North Texas based technology or non-technology company for exceptional technical leadership that fostered the development or deployment of new technology resulting in significant value for the company. The company must have 2024 operating revenues of at least $2 million but not more than $200 million.
Emerging Company Innovation Award
The Emerging Company Innovation Award recognizes a company for outstanding innovation and unique accomplishments through recent or potential breakthrough technology or approach within the technology industry in North Texas for which the company owns the intellectual property OR proprietary property/method or innovated by adopting another company’s intellectual property. The company must be headquartered in North Texas and have 2024 operating revenues of at least $2 million but not more than $200 million.
Startup Company CEO Award
The Startup Company CEO Award recognizes the CEO of a technology company headquartered in North Texas with 2024 operating revenues of no more than $2 million.
- Chris Brickler, Mynd Immersive
- Mohammed Njie, Janta Power
- David Roberson PhD, Blackbox Bio
- Veena Somareddy, Neuro Rehab VR
Technology Advocate Award
The Technology Advocate Award recognizes a North Texas individual or company whose core business is not a technology product for outstanding leadership in championing, assisting, advancing or accelerating the performance of the technology industry in North Texas.
- Karen Bruno, Tech CxO LaunchPad
- Dr. Joseph Pancrazio, UT Dallas
- Jennifer Sanders, North Texas Innovation Alliance
- Hope Shimabuku, USPTO - Southwest Regional Office
Technology Inventor Award
The Technology Inventor Award recognizes the pioneering accomplishments of a person, team or group responsible for the creation of technical breakthrough ideas, processes or products which have advanced the discipline. The nominee is with a North Texas company or institution.
- Mike Hanna, TrueSpot
- Dr. Michael Kilgard, Texas Biomedical Device Center, UT Dallas
- Astha Malhotra PhD, Phylactics
- David Roberson PhD, Blackbox Biotech
Tech Titans of the Future – College/University
The Tech Titans of the Future College/University Level Award recognizes an accredited educational institution in the North Texas area that encourages and supports students to choose engineering and technology related disciplines as a preferred career path. This award category spotlights North Texas higher educational institutions' technology related curricula and incentives to perpetuate tech-related knowledge transfer. The award finalists display creative, innovative approaches that reach out to students and other learning-minded professionals and related institutions. The nomination requires testimonials from two current or former students, educators or other individuals who have excelled or benefited from this program.
- Collin College, Electronic Engineering Technology Program
- Dallas College, Texas A&M Engineering Academy
- SMU, Cox School of Business, Spears Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership
- UT Dallas, North Texas Semiconductor Institute
Tech Titans of the Future – High School
The Tech Titans of the Future High School Level Award recognizes a North Texas high school (grades 9-12) math/science teacher or administrator for development and implementation of an innovative teaching technique or program that inspires student interest regarding further educational and/or career pursuits in science, technology, engineering or math. The teaching technique or program must demonstrate opportunity for students to gain applied knowledge. Only one teacher/administrator per school may be nominated. A lesson plan may be included in the nomination. The nomination requires testimonials from two current or former students, educators or other individuals who have excelled or benefited from this program.