D CEO and Dallas Innovates are proud to announce the finalists for its fourth 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 online at DallasInnovates.com; winners will be revealed at an exclusive awards event in January.
Here is the complete list of finalists for the 2023 program:
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
CIO/CTO of the Year
- Chris Akeroyd, Children’s Health
- Andrew Bender, DZS
- Sharon Bradley, Plano Independent School District
Corporate Innovator of the Year
- Matt Heydon, Toyota Financial Services
- Alok Maskara, Lennox International
- Heidi Soltis-Berner, Deloitte
- David C. Williams, AT&T
Innovation Advocate or Accelerator Leader of the Year
- Trey Bowles, Techstars Physical Health Fort Worth
- Cameron Cushman, University of North Texas Health Science Center
- Tarsha Hearns, The DEC Network at Redbird
- Jennifer Sampson, United Way Social Innovation Accelerator
- Hubert Zajicek, Health Wildcatters
Innovative Leader of the Year
- George Baker Sr., ParkHub
- David Copps, Worlds
- Tricia D’Cruz, Catalyze Dallas
- Ben Lamm, Colossal
- Prasanna Singaraju, Qentelli
- Evelyn Torres-Gomez, Solaris Technologies Services
COMPANY AWARDS
Innovation in AI and Machine Learning
- Access Healthcare
- Lone Star Analysis
- Oncor Electric Delivery
- OxeFit
- Spacee
Innovation in Biotech
- Caris Life Sciences
- Lantern Pharma
- OncoNano Medicine
- Taysha Gene Therapies
Innovation in Cybersecurity
- Cyber Defense Labs
- Cysiv
- Island
- Securonix
Innovation in DLT, Blockchain, and Crypto
- Applied Digital
- Aurox
- BlockMetrix
- Hedera
- MoneyGram International
Innovation in Education
- iStation
- Perot Museum of Nature and Science
- RoboKind
- ScholarShot
- UWorld
Innovation in Finance
- Bestow
- Gig Wage
- IndyFin
- Nada
- Valor
Innovation in Food and Beverage
- 7-Eleven
- Darling Ingredients
- OneDine
- Yum! Brands
- Ziosk
Innovation in Healthcare
- Catapult Health
- Cost Plus Drugs
- The Heart Center at Children’s Health
- Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation
- Recuro Health
Innovation in Manufacturing and Consumer Goods
- BeautyBio
- Celanese Corp.
- Tetra Pak
- Twisted X
Innovation in SAAS
- Arcade
- Botisimo
- Spotio
- Thryv
Innovation in Sports
- GameSquare Esports
- Monarc Sports
- nVenue
- OpTic Gaming
Get the D CEO Newsletter
Stay up to speed on DFW’s fast-moving business community with weekly news reports, interviews, and insights.
Author

Kelsey Vanderschoot
View Profile
Kelsey J. Vanderschoot came to Dallas by way of Napa, Los Angeles, and Madrid, Spain. A former teacher, she joined…
7-Eleven
Access Healthcare
BEAUTYBIO
Ben Lamm
Bestow
Caris Life Sciences
Catalyze Dallas
Catapult Health
Celanese Corp.
Children's Health
Colossal
Deloitte
DZS
Evelyn Torres-Gomez
GameSquare Esports
Gig Wage
Health Wildcatters
Island
IStation
Jennifer Sampson
Lantern Pharma
Lennox International
MoneyGram International
NVenue
OpTic Gaming
ParkHub
Parkland Center For Clinical Innovation
Perot Museum Of Nature And Science
Prasanna Singaraju
Recuro Health
ScholarShot
Spacee
Taysha Gene Therapies
Thryv
Trey Bowles
Twisted X
Valor
Yum! Brands