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 Highlights Regional Tech Leadership
The event was the 25th annual Tech Titans Awards. The awards ceremony took place at the Hyatt Regency Frisco‑Dallas at Stonebriar, with winners revealed at a gala held last Friday. The program honored leaders and companies across North Texas technology, recognizing achievements that span artificial intelligence, robotics, education, automation, and more.
Top winners and major honors
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. Since becoming CEO, Dhandapani oversaw the evolution and introduction of two solutions at Magnit, including Redeployment Marketplace and Maggi, a new Gen‑AI companion. Prior to joining Magnit, Dhandapani served as CEO of Global Workplace Solutions at Dallas‑based CBRE and held several positions at Capital One for nearly 18 years, including SVP, 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 (Hall of Famer) 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 led efforts to infuse arts and culture into UT Dallas, attracting internationally recognized artists and performers.
Category winners across the region
JobTread won the Fast Tech award as North Texas’ fastest‑growing tech company. JobTread, an all‑in‑one construction estimating and project management software platform, captured the Fast Tech honors for the second year in a row. JobTread CEO Eric Fortenberry was pictured accepting the award.
Corporate Innovation award winner was Prodapt North America. Prodapt, an India‑based provider of consulting, engineering, and transformation services for the telecom and technology industry, opened its Americas Innovation Center in Richardson 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 offering a cloud‑based platform to help organizations manage cybersecurity risk through automation and 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, a global company whose platform automates customer interactions with intelligent, conversational AI, 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. The Corporate CIO/CTO award went to Todd Kackley of Textron. The Technology Advocate award winner was Jennifer Sanders of the North Texas Innovation Alliance (NTIA). The Technology Inventor award went to Dr. David Roberson of Blackbox Bio. The Tech Titans of the Future — College/University award went to The University of Texas at Dallas, North Texas Semiconductor Institute. The Tech Titans of the Future — High School award went to Marcus Edwards of Farmersville Independent School District.
Process, scope and support
The awards recognize innovation and leadership in the North Texas technology community. Winners were selected through a rigorous evaluation process led by a panel of peer judges. The event presented awards in 14 categories and honored winners in more than a dozen categories at the ceremony.
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.
Organization and governance notes
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 in the article Tech Titans 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. The board added 16 new board members and elected Marvin Harris Jr., senior foundry engineering manager at Qorvo, as chair of the Tech Titans board of directors.
FAQ
What was the event?
The event was the 25th annual Tech Titans Awards.
Where did the awards take place?
The awards ceremony took place at the Hyatt Regency Frisco‑Dallas at Stonebriar.
When were the winners revealed?
The awards ceremony took place at the Hyatt Regency Frisco‑Dallas at Stonebriar, with winners revealed at a gala held last Friday.
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 (Hall of Famer) was Dr. Richard Benson, retired president of The University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas).
Which company won the Fast Tech award?
JobTread won the Fast Tech award as North Texas’ fastest‑growing tech company.
Key features at a glance
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Event | The event was the 25th annual Tech Titans Awards. |
| Location | The awards ceremony took place at the Hyatt Regency Frisco‑Dallas at Stonebriar. |
| Timing | Winners were revealed at a gala held last Friday. |
| Top individual winners | Corporate CEO: Chandra Dhandapani of Magnit; Startup Company CEO: Chris Brickler of Mynd Immersive; Hall of Famer: Dr. Richard Benson. |
| Notable company winners | JobTread (Fast Tech); Prodapt North America (Corporate Innovation); DigitalXForce (Emerging Company Innovation). |
| Selection | Winners were selected through a rigorous evaluation process led by a panel of peer judges. |
| Sponsors | Presented by The University of Texas at Dallas; supported by BGSF Professional, BravoTECH, Deloitte, Ericsson, Veritis, Prodapt North America, Amazech, CyrusOne, City of Richardson, Argent and Associates, Murata, Inbenta, and Qorvo. |
| Organizing body | Tech Titans: the Technology Association for North Texas; headquartered in Richardson; described as the largest technology trade association in Texas with 200 member companies from across the region. |
Report compiled from event and organizational information provided at the ceremony and related announcements.
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
Author: Construction TX News
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