Tech Titans Names Finalists for Annual Awards

Winners to be Announced at Awards Gala in September

DALLAS- August 7, 2025 -  Eight companies, four universities, and 30 individuals including four high school teachers have been named as finalists by Tech Titans for the 2025 Annual Tech Titans Awards presented by The University of Texas at Dallas. Winners will be announced on Sept. 12 at the annual awards presentation at the Hyatt Regency Frisco – Dallas.

Awards and finalists are listed below: 

Community Hero
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
Todd Kackley, Textron
Steven Klohn, Dave & Buster’s
Dr. Julius Smith, Dallas Area Rapid Transit

Corporate Innovation
InfoVision
KPMG
Murata
Prodapt North America

Emerging Company CEO
Lalit Ahluwalia, DigitalXForce
Maria Coello, MyClick Insurance
Laurel Hess, Hampr
Elad Inbar, RobotLAB

Emerging Company CIO/CTO
Merlin Bise, Inbenta
Priya Reddy, Reprise Financial
Sudip Shekhawat, LeaseLock
Jack Smith, WATTER

Emerging Company Innovation
DigitalXForce
Island
QualiZeal
TrueSpot

Startup Company CEO
Chris Brickler, Mynd Immersive
Mohammed Njie, Janta Power
Dr. David Roberson, Blackbox BioTech
Veena Somareddy, Neuro Rehab VR

Technology Advocate
Karen Bruno, Tech CxO LaunchPad
Dr. Joseph Pancrazio, The University of Texas at Dallas
Jennifer Sanders, North Texas Innovation Alliance
Hope Shimabuku, United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) - Southwest Regional Office

Technology Inventor
Mike Hanna, TrueSpot
Dr. Michael Kilgard, Texas Biomedical Device Center, The University of Texas at Dallas
Dr. Astha Malhotra, Phylactics
Dr. David Roberson, Blackbox BioTech

Tech Titans of the Future — College/ University
Collin College, Electronic Engineering Technology Program
Dallas College, Texas A&M Engineering Academy
Southern Methodist University, Cox School of Business, Spears Institute for Entrepreneurial Leadership
The University of Texas at Dallas, North Texas Semiconductor Institute

Tech Titans of the Future — High School
Matt Abbondanzio, Greenhill School
Kim Biggerstaff, Frisco Independent School District
Marcus Edwards, Farmersville Independent School District
Julia Goodwin, Plano Independent School District

The Tech Titans Awards, presented by the leading association serving the North Texas technology community, celebrate the achievements of companies and individuals who are driving innovation and shaping the future of the high-tech industry, both locally and globally. These awards spotlight the visionaries, early adopters, and trailblazers making a significant impact in areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics, education, and automation. Nominees undergo a rigorous evaluation process, with finalists and winners selected by a panel of peer judges.

“This year’s finalists represent the very best of innovation, leadership, and impact in the tech industry,” said Paul Bendel, Executive Director of Tech Titans. “Being named a finalist is a testament to their excellence and the rigorous evaluation process led by our panel of peer judges. We’re excited to celebrate these remarkable individuals and organizations at the upcoming awards ceremony.”

In addition to The University of Texas at Dallas, presenting sponsor of the 2025 Tech Titans Awards Gala, the program is also supported by the City of Frisco, which is the program’s first “Host City Sponsor” for the program. The 2025 Tech Titans Awards is also supported by BGSF, BravoTECH, Deloitte, Ericsson, Veritis, and Qorvo. Fast Tech sponsors are Comerica Bank, Dallas Business Journal, Moss Adams, and Baker Tilly.

For more information or to purchase tickets for the event, visit www.techtitans.org.
 

• Cultivating a technology community of companies, entrepreneurs, investors and students.
• Growing future tech leaders with its talent and workforce development initiative.
• Advocating technology's advancement in governmental arenas,
• Connecting people and inspiring innovative ideas through its programs and special interest forums.