Frisco, Texas, September 19, 2025
News Summary
The 25th annual Tech Titans Awards at the Hyatt Regency Frisco‑Dallas at Stonebriar celebrated innovation and leadership across the North Texas tech community. Winners spanned corporate and startup CEOs, university research groups, fast‑growing companies, and community contributors across more than a dozen categories. Highlights included the Corporate CEO, Startup Company CEO, and a Hall of Fame induction, plus awards for cybersecurity, biotech, and semiconductor research. The ceremony showcased emerging talent, regional collaboration, and sponsors from industry and academia, underscoring the region’s growing role in technology development and economic growth.
25th Annual Tech Titans Awards in Frisco Honors Regional Tech Leaders
The event was the 25th annual Tech Titans Awards. The awards ceremony took place at the Hyatt Regency Frisco-Dallas at Stonebriar. The article twice refers to the awards taking place last Friday.
Top winners and page‑one results
The Corporate CEO award winner was Chandra Dhandapani of Magnit. Chandra Dhandapani is Dallas-based. Dhandapani was appointed CEO of Magnit Global in December 2024. Magnit is described as a global leader and pioneer in contingent workforce management solutions. Since becoming CEO, Dhandapani oversaw the evolution and introduction of two solutions at Magnit: Redeployment Marketplace and Maggi, a new Gen-AI companion. Prior to Magnit, Dhandapani served as CEO of Global Workplace Solutions at Dallas-based CBRE and previously held several positions at Capital One for nearly 18 years, including senior vice president, chief information officer, and digital transformation leader in the financial services division. Dhandapani currently serves on the board of directors of Northern Trust and previously served on the boards of Turner & Townsend, Exeter Finance, and OnDeck.
The Startup Company CEO award went to Chris Brickler, co-founder and CEO of Mynd Immersive. Mynd Immersive is Dallas-based and provides VR-based immersive digital therapeutics for aging adults across the U.S., Canada, and Australia. In 2024, Chris Brickler helped launch Mynd Immersive’s Great American Elderverse at CES in Las Vegas in collaboration with Dallas-based AT&T, HTC VIVE, and the CTA Foundation.
The Tech Titans Hall of Fame inductee was Dr. Richard Benson, retired president of The University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas). Dr. Richard Benson served as UT Dallas president from July 15, 2016, through Aug. 1. Paul Bendel, executive director of Tech Titans, said Benson’s leadership grew UT Dallas in enrollment, moved it to NCAA Division II in 2025, helped it qualify for National Research University Fund research dollars in 2018, and secured several important government projects. Bendel also noted Benson’s efforts to infuse arts and culture into UT Dallas and attract internationally recognized artists and performers.
More awards and local winners
JobTread won the Fast Tech award as North Texas’ fastest-growing tech company. JobTread is an all-in-one construction estimating and project management software platform. JobTread won Fast Tech honors for the second year in a row and its CEO Eric Fortenberry was pictured holding the Fast Tech Award.
Corporate Innovation award winner was Prodapt North America. Prodapt is an India-based provider of consulting, engineering, and transformation services for the telecom and technology industry. Prodapt opened its Americas Innovation Center in Richardson in the prior year and in July signed a memorandum of understanding with Invest Alberta to expand operations in that Canadian province.
Emerging Company Innovation award winner was DigitalXForce. DigitalXForce is an Irving-based startup with a cloud-based platform to help organizations manage cybersecurity risk by automating tasks and offering real-time risk assessments. Lalit Ahluwalia, CEO of DigitalXForce, won the Emerging Company CEO award.
Merlin Bise, CTO of Inbenta, won the Emerging Company CIO/CTO award. Inbenta is a global company whose platform automates customer interactions with intelligent, conversational AI. Inbenta announced its new headquarters at One Bethany West in Allen in 2023 after relocating from California to North Texas.
The Community Hero award went to Debbie Mrazek, president of The Sales Company. Debbie Mrazek is president of Plano-based The Sales Company and consults with corporate financial firms, technology companies, and family businesses on sales improvement.
The Corporate CIO/CTO award went to Todd Kackley of Textron. Todd Kackley is vice president and chief information officer at Textron. He leads business unit chief information officers and the Textron Information Services organization and oversees Textron’s Information Management Council.
The Technology Advocate award winner was Jennifer Sanders of the North Texas Innovation Alliance (NTIA). Jennifer Sanders is executive director of the NTIA and leads a regional consortium of municipalities, public agencies, corporations, and academic institutions working to create the most connected, smart, and resilient region in the country. Sanders will help lead the Smart Cities Global Startup Challenge in November, returning for its second year at the 2025 Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona.
The Technology Inventor award went to Dr. David Roberson of Blackbox Bio. Blackbox Bio is a Dallas-based biotechnology company that develops an AI-driven, automated system for observing and analyzing rodent behavior in drug discovery. David Roberson is founder and CEO of Blackbox Bio and earned his PhD through the Program in Neuroscience at Harvard, where he invented the MoSeq rodent behavioral assessment tool.
The Tech Titans of the Future — College/University award went to The University of Texas at Dallas, North Texas Semiconductor Institute. Dr. Ted Moise is director of the North Texas Semiconductor Institute and in May received an award of nearly $2.5 million from UT Austin for his research in support of the Texas Institute for Electronics Next-Generation Microelectronics Manufacturing Center. The Texas Institute for Electronics Next-Generation Microelectronics Manufacturing Center is creating a new class of energy-efficient computing systems.
The Tech Titans of the Future — High School award went to Marcus Edwards of Farmersville Independent School District. Marcus Edwards is director of engineering at Farmersville ISD. Marcus Edwards’ LinkedIn page describes him as a hands-on, solutions-first STEM educator and Lean Six Sigma leader, immersed in CNC machining, robotics, 3D printing, and design innovation.
Process, sponsors and organization
Winners were selected through a rigorous evaluation process led by a panel of peer judges. The awards recognize innovation and leadership in the North Texas technology community. The awards honored winners in more than a dozen categories and recognize contributions spanning artificial intelligence, robotics, education, automation, and more. Paul Bendel said winners have pushed boundaries in technology and inspired others.
The presenting sponsor of the 2025 Tech Titans Awards Gala was The University of Texas at Dallas. The City of Frisco was the program’s first Host City Sponsor. The 2025 Tech Titans Awards were supported by BGSF Professional, BravoTECH, Deloitte, Ericsson, Veritis, Prodapt North America, Amazech, CyrusOne, the City of Richardson, Argent and Associates, Murata, Inbenta, and Qorvo. The Fast Tech sponsors were Comerica Bank, the Dallas Business Journal, Moss Adams, and Baker Tilly.
Tech Titans: the Technology Association for North Texas is described as the largest technology trade association in Texas with 200 member companies from across the region. Elsewhere the organization is said to represent more than 300 member companies and over a quarter-million tech workers in the region. Tech Titans is headquartered in Richardson.
FAQ
What was the event?
The event was the 25th annual Tech Titans Awards.
Where did the awards ceremony take place?
The awards ceremony took place at the Hyatt Regency Frisco-Dallas at Stonebriar.
Who won the Corporate CEO award?
The Corporate CEO award winner was Chandra Dhandapani of Magnit.
Who won the Startup Company CEO award?
The Startup Company CEO award went to Chris Brickler, co-founder and CEO of Mynd Immersive.
Who was inducted into the Tech Titans Hall of Fame?
The Tech Titans Hall of Fame inductee was Dr. Richard Benson, retired president of The University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas).
How were winners chosen?
Winners were selected through a rigorous evaluation process led by a panel of peer judges.
Who was the presenting sponsor?
The presenting sponsor of the 2025 Tech Titans Awards Gala was The University of Texas at Dallas.
Key Features Table
| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| Event | The 25th annual Tech Titans Awards |
| Venue | Hyatt Regency Frisco-Dallas at Stonebriar |
| Corporate CEO Winner | Chandra Dhandapani of Magnit |
| Startup CEO Winner | Chris Brickler of Mynd Immersive |
| Hall of Fame | Dr. Richard Benson, retired president of UT Dallas |
| Fast Tech Winner | JobTread |
| Presenting Sponsor | The University of Texas at Dallas |
| Host City Sponsor | The City of Frisco |
Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic
Additional Resources
- Dallas Innovates: 2025 Tech Titans Awards — winners take the stage
- Wikipedia: Tech Titans
- Dallas Innovates: North Texas innovators named finalists for the 25th annual Tech Titans Awards
- Google Search: Tech Titans Awards 2025 finalists
- American Bazaar: Chandra Dhandapani wins Tech Titans 2025 Corporate CEO Award
- Google Scholar: Chandra Dhandapani
- Star Local Media (Allen American): Finalists announced for 2025 Tech Titans Awards
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Tech Titans Awards (search)
- Dallas Innovates: Newly retired UTD president to be inducted into Tech Titans Hall of Fame
- Google News: Richard Benson UT Dallas Tech Titans
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