- Mogul – Top Investor/Owner: Chris Heivly and David Neal, The Startup Factory
The finalists:
Jason Caplain and David Jones, Bull City Partners
Chris Heivly and David Neal, The Startup Factory
Dave Rizzo and Lister Delgado, IDEA Fund Partners
Christy Shaffer, Hatteras Ventures
Karen LeVert, Southeast TechInventures
- Conductor – Top Board Chairman: Henry Kaestner, Bandwidth
The finalists:
Scot Wingo, ChannelAdvisor
Hugh Shelton, Red Hat
Tim Sweeney, Epic Games
Michael Zapata, Protochips
Henry Kaestner, Bandwidth
Ron De Lange, Tekelec/Oracle
Christy Shaffer, Hatteras Ventures
- Engineer – Top CEO: David Morken, Bandwidth
The finalists:
Brooks Bell, HQ Raleigh
Joy Parr Drach, Advanced Animal Diagnostics
Tom Pike, Quintiles
Stephen Wiehe, SciQuest
Scot Wingo, ChannelAdvisor
Robbie Allen, Automated Insight
Aaron Houghton, BoostSuite
Justin Miller, WedPics
Jud Bowman, Appia
David Morken, Bandwidth
- Fireman – Top COO (Operations): Chris Chuang, Bandwidth
The finalists:
Tom Kurke, Geomagic
Scott Fredenic, Automated Insights
Tobias Walter, Shoeboxed
Chris Chuang, Bandwidth
- Brakeman – Top CFO (Finance): Kevin Gordon, Quintiles
The finalists:
John Baule, ChannelAdvisor
Kevin Gordon, Quintiles
Karen Adams, Aerial Biopharma and Exodos Life Science
Bennett Love, BioKier Inc.
- Signalman – Top CIO/CTO (Technology/Information): Steven Lorenz, Neuse River Networks
The finalists:
Nate Talbot, Spreedly
Steven Lorenz, Neuse River Networks
Robert Simora, Railinc.
Jay Strum, G1 Therapeutics
Ben Yerxa, Liquidia Technologies
- Rookie – Top Entrepreneur: Coleman Greene, Sqord
The finalists:
Ginger Dosier, BioMASON
Leigh Ann Ryals, Able Device
Todd John, PlayerSpace
Ryan Becklland and Drew Schiller, Validic
Anil Chawla, ArchiveSocial
Jake Stauch, Neurospire
Coleman Greene, Sqord
- Steward – Mentor/Advisor to startups: Adam Klein, American Underground
The finalists:
Brooks Bell, HQ Raleigh
Adam Klein, American Underground
Dhruv Patel, Council for Entrepreneurial Development
Tom Looney, Seahawk Innovation Fund
Terri Lomax, Vice Chancellor of Research, Innovation and Economic Development NC State University
- Yardmaster – Developer/Visionary driving regional development and/or a type of technology: Adam Klein and Michael Goodmon, American Underground
The finalists:
Andy Schwab, First Flight Venture Center
Adam Klein and Michael Goodmon, American Underground
Brooks Bell, HG Raleigh
Sara Day Evans, Accelerating Appalachia
- Inventor – Creator/mastermind: Tim Sweeney, Epic Games
The finalists:
Rob Cotter, Organic Transit
Ping Fu, Geomagic
Bob Metzger, Kyma Technologies
Tim Sweeney, Epic Games
Jason Shih, BioResource International
People’s Choice: David Morken, Bandwidth; Rob Cotter, Organic Transit ; Andy Schwab, First Flight Venture Center
COMPANY HONORS
The five corporate winners:
- Express – Non-stop company on the way to success: Bandwidth
The finalists:
ReverbNation
Bronto
Wedpics
Republic Wireless
Bandwidth
BioResource International
- Turnaround – A rebuilt company: Cree
The finalists:
WedPics from Deji Mi
Lenovo
Intuit Health (now Medfusion)
Cree
- Golden Spike – A solid, grind-it-out day to day company: Red Hat
The finalists:
WebAssign
PowerSecure
Red Hat
CloudWyze
Castle Branch
Appia
SAS
- Subway – A company emerging from stealth mode: Neuse River Networks
The finalists:
Biomason
Organic Transit
PopUp
Neuse River Networks
EdTechTrials.com
nCino
NextGlass
eSmart Meter
Advanced Animal Diagnostics
- Riding Third Rail – A company achieving success on a deadly “third rail” where other companies have tried and failed: Republic Wireless
The finalists:
Semprius
Organic Transit
Republic Wireless
WedPics
Windsor Circle
Life-time service honorees:
- Monica Doss, entrepreneurship
- Bob Young, founder of Red Hat and Lulu
- Dr. Dennis Gillings, founder and executive chairman, Quintiles
NEW AWARDS
WRALTechWire also launched a new category of awards: The “I Think I Can.”
Recipients were:
- Matthew Coppedge of Downtown Durham, Inc.; Adam Klein of The American Underground; and Casey Steinbacher of the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce for Durham’s “Smoffice”
- Bob Cotter, Organic Transit, for taking on the automobile industry
- Joanne Rohde, Axial Exchange, for taking on the healthcare industry
- Ginger Dosier, bioMASON, for helping build a new world
- Steve Malik, Medfusion, for buying back the company he founded and later sold
- Tom Pike, Quintiles, for taking his company public at nearly $1 billion
- Jim Roberts, now at UNC Wilmington where he is spearheading entrepreneurial development. Roberts was a regular contributor to WRALTechWire as an “Insider” columnist before accepting the UNCW post. He also has long been active in venture capital, economic development and entrepreneurship across the state from Charlotte to Asheville to the Triangle – and now the coast.
(Personal note: In my haste to bring events portion to a close, I accidentally omitted Jim at the presentation. He did receive his “prize pack,” including an engineer’s cap, certificate and a train-related gift. My apologies, Jim.)
Last year’s winners are available online.