D CEO and Dallas Innovates are proud to announce the finalists for the sixth annual Innovation Awards. The program honors companies, CEOs, CIOS, CTOs, entrepreneurs, and other leaders who are helping to make Dallas-Fort Worth an innovation hub.
All finalists will be recognized in the January/February issue of D CEO magazine and at DallasInnovates.com; winners will be revealed at an exclusive awards event in January.
Here is the complete list of finalists for the 2025 program:
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
CIO/CTO of the Year
Adrian Butler, Foot Locker
Casey Foster, JobTread Software
Pam Presswood, Valor
Barry Shurkey, NTT Data North America
Harsh Singla, Integrity
Startup Leader of the Year
Dave Copps, Worlds
Travis Hollman, MeSpace
Justin Monger, MedSure Systems
Taylor Shead, Stemuli
Jeremy Whittington, Illuma Labs
Corporate Leader of the Year
Brad Alberts, Dallas Stars
Bryan Adams, Integrity
Tom Cole, Tandem Theory
Wally Gomaa, Coupe Health
Andrew Schaap, Aligned Data Centers
Rod Washington, Frost Bank
Advocate Award
Jennifer Sanders, North Texas Innovation Alliance
Emerging Leader Award
Taylor Calise, Imaginuity
Raleigh Dewan, SteadiSpoon
Hui-Ting Goh, Texas Woman’s University
Siddarth Nandyala, Stem IT
Lindsey Tyra, Children’s Health
COMPANY AWARDS
Corporate Innovator Award
Aligned Data Centers, led by Andrew Schaap
BAL, led by Jeremy Fudge
Bell Helicopter, led by Lisa Atherton
Experion Technologies, led by Manoj Balraj
Innovation in AI and Machine Learning
Cien.ai, led by Margot Carter
evolv Consulting, led by Eric Neef
Lumin Fitness, led by Brandon Bean
Innovation in Cybersecurity
ByteTrail, led by Brenda Stoner
DigitalXForce, led by Lalit Ahluwalia
Intel471, led by Jason Passwaters
StrikeReady, led by Yasir Khalid
Zimperium, led by Shridhar Mittal
Innovation in Education
Bold Idea, led by Robyn Brown
Gannett.Partners, led by Chris Gannett
Paul Quinn College, led by Michael Sorrell
Tech CxO Launchpad, led by Karen Bruno
Texas A&M-Fort Worth Innovation Campus, led by Bobby Ahdieh
Innovation in Banking and Finance
Quiltt, led by Ruben Izmailyan
Texans Credit Union, led by David Frazier
Texas Capital, led by Rob C. Holmes
TradeOff, led by Mike Rufail
Veritex Community Bank, led by Malcom Holland
Versant Capital Management, led by Royce Ramey
Zirtue, led by Dennis Cail
Innovation in Healthcare and Biotech
Children’s Health, led by Christopher J Durovich
PCCI, led by Steve Miff
Reveles, led by R’Kes Starling
Southwest Transplant Alliance, led by Brad Adams
SilverStone Health, led by Alfonso Montiel
Innovation in Manufacturing and Consumer Goods
Niagara, led by William Cutler
G.O.A.T. Fuel, led by Jaqui Rice Gold
OxeFit, led by Rab Shanableh
Toucan Cocktails, led by John Dallager
Twisted X Global Brands, led by Prasad Reddy
Innovation in Real Estate
Applied Digital, led by Wes Cummins
Archer Western Construction, led by Kenny Crabb
CAF Funds, led by Chris Faulkner
UnderPar Life, led by David Deering
Innovation in Robotics and IOT
Anantak Robotics, led by Manuj Naman
AirSight, led by Fadi Tabbara
Graze Robotics, led by Logan Fahey
Harbor, led by Kevin Lavelle
RobotLAB, led by Elad Inbar
Innovation in Software and SAAS
Aletheia Marketing & Media, led by Chris Schembri
JobTread Software, led by Eric Fortenberry
SalesBoost, led by Gretta Brooks
Siepe, led by Michael Pusateri
Innovation in Transportation Technology
Aurora, led by Chris Urmson and Ossa Fisher
Mozee, led by Shawn Taikratoke
RailPros, led by Kendall Koff
Southern Dallas Link, led by Curtis Corbins
Startup of the Year
Backflip, led by Josh Ernst
Colossal Biosciences, led by Ben Lamm
Yendo, led by Jordan Miller
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