Winners Announced at Tekne Awards Ceremony on Nov. 20 at Minneapolis Convention Center
MINNEAPOLIS– In a demonstration of the strength of Minnesota’s innovation economy, the Minnesota High Tech Association has announced 36 finalists for its annual Tekne Awards in 12 categories that span a wide range of leading-edge technologies. Among the categories are cloud computing, cybersecurity, Industry 4.0, MedTech, and workforce development. The winners will be chosen from among the finalists at the Tekne Awards ceremony on Nov. 20 at the Minneapolis Convention Center.
“This year’s Tekne Award finalists demonstrate thought leadership and are spearheading technology innovation in Minnesota and around the world,” said Jeff Tollefson, President and CEO of the Minnesota High Tech Association. “We look forward to further recognizing these organizations at the 2019 Tekne Awards as well as highlighting the impressive science and technology community here in Minnesota.”
The 2019 Tekne Awards ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 20, attracts hundreds of the state’s most influential leaders in business, higher education and politics.
For additional information and registration: TekneAwards.org.
Categories and finalists for the 2019 Tekne Awards are:
AGTECH
This award honors technological advances in agricultural operations or food production that enhance productivity and efficiency, improve environmental sustainability or contribute to food safety. Examples include real-time crop data sensors, plant/soil analytics, water management systems, aerial imagery, predictive analytics and grocery supply chain management.
Finalists: Calyxt | Ecolab | Levridge
CLOUD COMPUTING
The Cloud Computing award celebrates innovation in products and services that deliver hosted services over the internet. Examples include Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), edge computing, and virtual systems.
Finalists: Datica | Flywheel.io | Merrill Corporation
COGNITIVE COMPUTING
This award honors innovative products or services that simulate the human cognition process to find solutions in complex situations. Examples include artificial intelligence, machine learning, data analytics, augmented reality, virtual reality, data mining, natural-language processing, and pattern matching.
Finalists: C.H. Robinson | TMC | Thomson Reuters | Tryon Media LLC – FashionBrain AI
COMMUNITY IMPACT
The Community Impact award recognizes the development or implementation of technology that serves an unmet community need. Entries should demonstrate significant improvement or modernization through a product, service, or innovation that assists underserved populations, enhances quality of life, health or safety and serves as a catalyst to promote interest in STEM.
Finalists: PCs for People | Comcast | Spark-Y
CYBERSECURITY
This award shines a spotlight on innovative products or services that safeguard businesses and enterprises from unintended or unauthorized access. It recognizes products or services that uphold digital ethics and ensure safe, ethical and professional online communities. Examples include identity management products or services, trusted authentication, disaster recovery, secure data storage, computer forensics, and verification processes.
Finalists: Code42 | FRSecure | OceanTech
EDTECH
The EdTech award recognizes advancements in digital technology to make learning and teaching more interactive, dynamic, adaptive, collaborative and immersive for students of all ages. Examples include multi-media integration, gamification, mobile casual, learning apps, adaptive tech for physical disabilities, and peer-to-peer learning platforms.
Finalists: Code Championship | Pearson VUE (ALII) | Pearson VUE (OnVUE)
FINTECH
This award honors technology innovation that improves the delivery and use of financial services to businesses or consumers. Examples include payment apps, blockchain, smart contracts, insurance streamlining and simplification, compliance, budget apps, crowdfunding platforms, and investment advice.
Finalists: Branch | ClickSWITCH | Total Expert
INDUSTRY 4.0
The Industry 4.0 award recognizes products and services that highlight advancements in automation, data exchange and manufacturing technologies. Submissions to this category highlight the digital convergence between industry, businesses and other processes. Examples include additive manufacturing (3D Printing), robotics, supply chain, logistics, integration of cyber systems and physical systems for smart factories.
Finalists: Rimage Corporation | Seagate Technology | Tower Solutions
INTERNET OF THINGS
This award recognizes products and services that make everyday objects smarter by embedding technology and connecting them to enable communication. Examples include smart spaces, sensors, network advancement and autonomous machines.
Finalists: 75F | Digi International | SleepNumber
MEDTECH
The MedTech award honors significant achievements in medical product design and engineering that improve the quality of healthcare delivery and accessibility. Examples include instruments, machines, implants, in vitro reagents or other related products that are intended for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, and treatment or prevention of disease or other conditions.
Finalists: Abilitech Medical | Starkey Hearing Technologies | Zipnosis
STARTUP
This award recognizes an early-stage Minnesota science or technology company with commercialized products that demonstrates significant potential, creativity and a promising future. Company revenue requirements from 2018 are $5 million or less and 50% or more of its employees must be based in Minnesota.
Finalists: Anatomi Corp. | Bleachr | CD3 General Benefit Corporation
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
The Workforce Development award celebrates innovative approaches to build the tech talent pipeline for Minnesota workplaces. This includes initiatives to attract, develop and retain talent in order to build a diverse and inclusive work community while closing the gap in Minnesota’s tech talent shortage.
Finalists: Best Buy | Creating IT Futures Foundation | Target
About the Minnesota High Tech Association (MHTA)
The Minnesota High Tech Association is an innovation and technology association united in fueling Minnesota’s prosperity and making Minnesota a top-five technology state. We bring together the people of Minnesota’s science and technology ecosystem and lead the way in bringing science and technology issues to leaders at Minnesota’s capitol and Washington, D.C. MHTA is the only membership organization that represents Minnesota’s entire technology-based economy. Our members include organizations of every size − involved in virtually every aspect of technology creation, production, application and education in Minnesota.
