North Texas is having a moment. Just ask Nirav Tolia, the innovator behind the multibillion-dollar social media platform Nextdoor, who moved here from the West Coast in 2021. “There is an air of optimism, possibility, and enthusiasm in Dallas that feels a lot like Silicon Valley felt when I first moved there,” Tolia says.
Just in the past half-dozen years or so, several hugely successful companies have launched out of North Texas or moved their operations here for expansion and growth. Companies like RecNation, Grata, Firehawk Aerospace, Yendo, and BackFlip are all local startups pursuing a billion-dollar valuation. Some, like Island.io and Colossal Biosciences, have already achieved unicorn status (reaching a valuation of $1 billion without being listed on the stock market).
In DFW, the art of innovation is strong. A total of 75 finalists featured in this year’s Innovation Awards, produced by D CEO in partnership with Dallas Innovates, prove that. And putting it on display to the highest degree are this year’s group of emerging leaders, who range from 14-year-old Siddarth Nandyala to up-and-coming healthcare C-Suiter Lindsey Tyra. Here are their stories.
The Marketer
Taylor Calise
Imaginuity…