Innovators Recognized at Tekne Awards Ceremony at Minneapolis Convention Center

(MINNEAPOLIS) Nov. 20, 2019 – In a celebration of Minnesota’s thriving science and technology community, the Minnesota High Tech Association named 12 winners during its annual Tekne Awards on Wednesday night. The event, which is organized by the Minnesota High Tech Association, named winners in a variety of categories that represent the widespread technology sectors. The winners span a range of sizes and business models but all have brought innovation to Minnesota’s science and technology industry.

“The Tekne Awards honor the innovative ideas that are powering Minnesota’s growing science and technology economy,” said Jeff Tollefson, President and CEO of the Minnesota High Tech Association. “This year’s recipients have brought forth some of the most innovative industry advancements we’ve seen, and we are proud to honor their contributions to the technology industry of the future.”

Minnesota Meteorologist Paul Douglas hosted the ceremony this year.

During the ceremony, the MHTA Foundation also honored undergraduate students who received the Foundation’s STEM scholarships. These students represent the future STEM leaders in our state.

For additional information, please visit TekneAwards.org.

The 2019 Tekne Award recipients are: 

AGTECH – Calyxt

Calyxt, Inc., is a food ingredients company founded as a subsidiary of biotech firm Cellectis. It’s elevating food to make it more functional and healthier by using cutting-edge plant breeding and gene-editing technology. Partnering with like-minded farmers and food companies, Calyxt produces plant-based products that are healthier, sustainable and traceable.

CLOUD COMPUTING – Flywheel

Flywheel is a biomedical imaging research platform automating scientific workflow processes and leverages cloud scalability so research centers and clinical and life science organizations, can manage AI discovery processes within an automated, organized, collaborative and reproducible scientific workflow. As a result, principle investigators and research teams avoid time and money lost to IT issues and significantly improve scientific research capabilities. In short, its motto is “Do less IT and more Science™.”

COGNITIVE COMPUTING – C.H. Robinson

C.H. Robinson believes in accelerating global trade to seamlessly deliver the products and goods that drive the world’s economy. Using the strengths of its knowledgeable people, proven processes and global technology, it helps customers work smarter, not harder. As one of the world’s largest third-party logistics providers (3PL), it provides a broad portfolio of logistics services, fresh produce sourcing and managed services, delivered through TMC, for more than 124,000 customers and 76,000 active contract carriers through an integrated network of offices and more than 15,000 employees.

COMMUNITY IMPACT – PCs for People

Founded in 1998, PCs for People has been a driving force behind digital-inclusion efforts. Every project, program and initiative is centered on getting low-cost computers and affordable internet into the homes of low-income individuals. Today, PCs for People is a thriving social enterprise distributing refurbished technology to income-qualified individuals while providing them with digital-literacy education. With four locations and an online store, PCs for People has been able to provide computers to more than 250,000 individuals in all 50 states and Puerto Rico.

CYBERSECURITY – Code42

Code42 is the leader in data loss protection. Today, the company secures the ideas of 50,000 of the most recognized brands in business and education worldwide. Using its Code42(R) Next-Gen Data Loss Protection solution, organizations can detect risky file activity across computers and the cloud as well as quickly investigate unusual file behavior and respond to data loss, leak and theft. Code42’s solution can tell organizations where their data lives, when and what data leaves and who has, or ever had, access to it. Code42 is proud to have been named a 2019 top workplace by Star Tribune.

EDTECH – Code Championship

Code Championship offers fun, competitive, week-long coding bootcamps in Minnesota for coders 9-15 years old. At Code Championship, they believe that Code Is Sport! By utilizing MIT’s Scratch language in conjunction with their bot creation framework, Code Championship coaches are able to lead young coders through a progressive series of coding challenges focused on teaching fundamental concepts. Code Championship’s aim is to foster a passion for programming in young coders and enhance their experience through presenting our material in a competitive way.

FINTECH – Total Expert

Total Expert is a fintech software pioneer of the first enterprise-level Marketing Operating System™ (MOS), a marketing and sales solution built specifically for banks and mortgage lenders. The Total Expert MOS enables financial services organizations to create customers and members for life by re-humanizing complex financial decisions. Mortgage lenders, banks and credit unions leverage the Total Expert MOS to stay ahead of how consumers expect to learn about, shop for and manage their financial lives in the digital era. Today, more than 100 customers, including eight of America’s top 15 lenders, work with Total Expert to improve their customers’ financial experiences.

INDUSTRY 4.0 – Tower Solutions

Tower Solutions provides high-quality portable towers across a wide variety of markets and applications, including communications, surveillance and military. It is proud to be a leader and innovator in system-integrated tower technology supporting infrastructure, homeland security and the United States armed forces.

INTERNET OF THINGSDigi International

Since 1985, Digi International Inc. has pioneered in wireless communication, developing connected devices to support developers taking an idea to market. Before the IoT, it built wireless devices and optimized data communications around the most advanced protocols and emerging technologies. From RF modules to gateways, cellular routers, networking devices and embedded system on modules (SOMs), Digi’s solutions have continually grown to serve the range of applications across the IoT landscape. Today, its IoT offering includes sensor-based solutions, a sophisticated platform for remotely managing device deployments and professional services to help teams carry out their vision, no matter how large or small.

MEDTECH – Abilitech Medical

Abilitech Medical is building a suite of mobility devices to support and assist the arms and hands in functional tasks required for independence in daily life. The Abilitech Assist should receive FDA clearance in January 2020, followed by a hand device in 2021 and a robotic assist device that uses voice commands in 2023. Abilitech Medical has a passionate and experienced team of four full-time employees and several contractors, and it works with five of Minnesota’s finest clinical institutions to build and deliver a meaningful device for patients and clinicians.

STARTUP – Anatomi Corp

Anatomi Corp is a stem-cell engineering firm operating in the biotech research tools market. Its flagship technology is the Chrono™ Platform, which drastically shortens the production of human neurological diseases in a dish from 35 days to only 7 days. Anatomi Corp’s products will accelerate breakthroughs and treatments for diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT –Creating IT Futures 

Creating IT Futures helps unemployed and under-employed people develop interest, secure opportunity and discover success in careers working with technology – especially groups currently under-represented in technology fields, such as women and people of color. Its IT-Ready education, training and job-placement program helps adults change careers later in life, particularly military veterans returning to the civilian workforce. Creating IT Futures is a 501(c)(3) charity whose mission is transforming the nation’s workforce for the digital age by helping communities of people develop their digital skills.

The 2019 Tekne Awards are made possible by the generous support of its sponsors:

  • Platinum Sponsors: Optum, Thomson Reuters
  • Gold Sponsors: Best Buy, Minnesota Employment and Economic Development, Padilla, Twin Cities Business Journal
  • Silver Sponsors: AT&T, Comcast, Robins Kaplan
  • Bronze Sponsors: Accenture, Digineer, Target, Xcel Energy