Innovation in North Texas happens on corporate campuses and at startups, in tech labs and on factory floors—across industries being reimagined for the future.

This year’s finalists for The Innovation Awards 2026 capture that story. They’re proof that innovation has become one of the region’s most powerful economic forces.

Presented by D CEO in a collaboration with Dallas Innovates, the annual program celebrates the people and companies leading the way.

All finalists will be recognized in the January/February issue of D CEO magazine and online at DallasInnovates.com. Winners will be revealed at a private awards event in January.

Inaugural Legacy of Innovation honoree

The 2026 program introduces a new distinction—the Legacy of Innovation Award—honoring leaders who’ve changed the course of North Texas through innovation and impact. The first honoree: Ross Perot Jr.

As founder and chairman of Hillwood, Perot has spent decades shaping the region’s economy through forward-thinking projects like AllianceTexas, the 27,000-acre mixed-use development that evolved from the nation’s first purely industrial airport into a $130 billion economic engine for Dallas-Fort Worth over 35 years.

Today, AllianceTexas integrates industrial and commercial hubs with residential communities across nine municipalities in the region, anchored in northern Fort Worth.

“Every generation of technology”

Perot has said AllianceTexas has been able to “ride every generation of technology.” One relatively early milestone was the $2 billion Facebook data-center deal. In 2025, Dallas Innovates reported Wistron planning two AI supercomputing facilities, Torc Robotics establishing its new autonomous truck operation, and aerospace manufacturer Embraer committing up to $70 million for a regional jet facility—all within AllianceTexas.

A short list of other major companies and brands located at AllianceTexas includes Amazon, BNSF, FedEx, Meta, UPS, Fidelity Investments, Charles Schwab, Deloitte, with manufacturers like MP Materials, which produces rare-earth magnets for companies like Apple and General Motors.

A testbed for mobility tech

Perot aims to position North Texas as “the mobility innovation zone in the entire world.”  Through Hillwood’s Mobility Innovation Zone (MIZ), AllianceTexas has become a testbed for emerging air and surface mobility technologies. Dallas Innovates has chronicled its rise as a hub for autonomous trucking, drone logistics, and next-generation air operations, including a recent simulation that saw autonomous helicopters and drones coordinate over Perot Field in a wildfire-response exercise. 

The vision extends beyond technology and mobility. A recent Hillwood partnership with Taylor Sheridan brought Texas’s largest film-production campus, SGS Studios, to AllianceTexas.

Perot is also chairman of The Perot Group, co-founder of the venture capital firm Perot Jain, and co-founder of Perot Systems Corporation, which was acquired by Dell in 2009.

His influence extends well beyond the region. In June 2025,  he was named board chair of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where he helps set national policy priorities focused on growth and innovation.

Perot’s impact spans decades. The 80 finalists for The Innovation Awards 2026 show how that spirit of innovation continues across North Texas. Meet the finalists:

The Innovation Awards 2026 Finalists

Individual Awards

Legacy of Innovation Award

Ross Perot Jr., Hillwood and The Perot Group

CIO/CTO of the Year

Logan Fisher, JustPark
Chitra Herle, GM Financial
Albert Karam, Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation
Michael Welch, Aligned Data Centers
Nicholas Whitney, MTX Group

Corporate Leader of the Year

Charlie Calise, Imaginuity
John Carona, Associa
Chakri Gottemukkala, o9 Solutions
Andrew Schaap, Aligned Data Centers
Lindsey Tyra, Children’s Health

Emerging Leader of the Year

Devin Charhon, Blue Jeans Golf
Rayyan Islam, 8090 Ventures
Tejasvi Mano, Shield Seniors
Suresh Narayanan, Jets MRO

Startup Leader of the Year

Conor Butts, hōm neuro
Calvin Carter, Matic
Mike Fey, Island
Eric Fortenberry, JobTrend Software
Paxton Riter, iDesign

Company Awards

Startup of the Year

Texas Stock Exchange, led by James Lee
Union, led by Will Somerindyke
Upsmith, led by Wyatt Smith

Corporate Innovator of the Year

Applied Digital, led by Wes Cummins
Baylor Scott & White Health, led by Pete McCanna
Corgan, led by Scott Ruch
Heidelberg Materials North America, led by Chris Ward
Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, led by Tim Cahill

Innovation in AI and Machine Learning

AT&T, led by John Stankey
Cognigy, led by Philipp Heltewig
Compass Datacenters, led by Chris Crosby
QualiZeal, led by Pardeep Govindasamy
Texas Instruments, led by Haviv Ilan
Topaz Labs, led by Eric Yang

Innovation in Banking, Funding, and Fintech

HighLine, led by Geoff Brown
Pro-Forma, led by Wade Myers
Stablecore, led by Alex Trese
Tapcheck, led by Ron Gaver
Vista Bank, led by John Steinmetz
Yendo, led by Jordan Miller

Innovation in Cybersecurity

ByteTrail, led by Brenda Stoner
Capital One Software, led by Ravi Raghu
LevelBlue, led by Bob McCullen
SmishAlert, led by Neil Carew

Innovation in Education

Educate Texas, led by Kerry Briggs
The Gatehouse, led by Lisa Rose
Girl Scouts’ Dream Lab, led by Bonnie Barczykowski
The Hockaday School, led by Laura Leathers
University of North Texas Center for Information and Cyber Security, led by Ram Dantu

Innovation in Food and Beverage

BRIX Holdings, led by Sherif Mityas
Dairy MAX, led by Jennie McDowell
Ruthie’s Fueled by Good, led by Ashlee Kleinert
Shaken Beverage Co./Toucan Cocktails, led by John Dallager

Innovation in Healthcare and Biotech

Arete Health, led by Byron Sanders
Caris Life Sciences, led by David Dean Halbert
Evry Health, led by Chris Gay
Integration Health, led by John Martin
Lantern Pharma, led by Panna Sharma
Verily, led by Stephen Gillett

Innovation in Manufacturing and Consumer Goods

Adom Industries, led by John Lauer
MP Materials, led by James Litinsky
SecureFoundry, led by Lex Keen
Trotter, led by Victor Trotter

Innovation in Marketing and Media

Dude Perfect, led by Andrew Yaffe
Glass-Media, led by Daniel Black
Groove Jones, led by Dale Carman
QuickAds, led by Nitin Mahajan

Innovation in Real Estate and Hospitality

AllianceTexas x SGS Studios, led by Mike Berry
Billee.ai, led by John Hinckley
FlexEtc, led by Shawn Gault
Rogers O’Brien, led by Justin McAfee
Stonethrow, led by Nick Clark

Innovation in SaaS

ClaimDeck, led by Dwayne Hermes
HighLevel, led by Shaun Clark
Lexipol, led by Bill Nunan
[x] cube LABS, led by Bharat Lingam

Innovation in Transportation

Mozee, led by Shawn Taikratoke
MW Logistics, led by Mitchell Ward
Torc, led by John Marinaro
Toyota Connected North America, led by James George

Check out last year’s winners here.

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