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Christopher Crow and Lance Spivey
![Patrick Brandt (left) and Aakash Kumar (right), who co-founded labor management platform Shiftsmart in 2015, are among the finalists for the 2021 Entrepreneur Of The Year Southwest Region Award. [Photo: Courtesy Shiftsmart]](https://s24806.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Shiftsmart_entrepreneur-of-the-year-finalist_courtesy-2021-940x436.jpg)
Patrick Brandt (left) and Aakash Kumar (right), co-founders of labor management platform Shiftsmart, which topped North Texas by ranking No. 96 on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 list. [Photo: Courtesy Shiftsmart]
The Unstoppables: EY Names 46 Entrepreneur Of The Year Southwest Finalists for 2021
by Quincy Preston | Jun 5, 2021
These "audacious business leaders" from 38 companies were picked by a panel of judges. Here are the finalists.
![Plano-based inventor Swaminathan Balasubramanian has received a newly granted patent for an "Energy Efficient Legged Mobile Robot." The patent describes a robot with a non-inverted pendulum body and articulated leg system designed to move like a humanoid, carry heavy loads, and minimize joint strain using a self-compensating mass structure. [Source images: USPTO Patent #12263899, left to right: Fig. 1, Fig. 2, Fig. 4; DI Studio background]](https://s24806.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Patent-12263899-Utility-robot-patent-fig1-2-4.jpg)
