TechLeadership

Tekne Awards 2024 – Now on YouTube!

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The 26th Tekne Awards, held in November 2024, have officially landed on YouTube! If you missed the event, now’s your chance to experience Minnesota’s premier technology celebration, recognizing the incredible leaders and organizations driving innovation across Minnesota.

This event was hosted at the Minneapolis Convention Center. It was an unforgettable night, emceed by the radio host Angela Davis from Minnesota Public Radio. It brought together brilliant technology leaders shaping Minnesota’s business ecosystem and pushing the boundaries of tech excellence.

The full award ceremony has been split into three videos:
🎬 Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzUH0WLtOAs
🎬 Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HewwFJpV7E
🎬 Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARfOCc9NCXY

I was incredibly honored to have won one of the Individual Achievement Awards, in the Exceptional Tech Leadership category! 🏆 A huge thank you to Hilary Rushe for announcing the award.

You can watch the Individual Achievement Awards in Part 2 (timestamp included):
▶️ https://youtu.be/-HewwFJpV7E?si=GBaa3B53b9RigiTy&t=1480

And the moment I received the award here (including my son handing me the award!).
📍 Watch it here:

It was truly a night to remember. Grateful to be part of such a vibrant and inspiring tech community!

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Winner: Tekne Exceptional Tech Leadership Award

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Last week was the 26th Tekne awards. Here is the website for it: tekneawards.org. It is Minnesota’s Premier Technology Celebration honoring the leaders and leading organizations who are fueling Minnesota’s tech-driven economy, with 15 Tekne Awards across 3 categories: Business Impact, Community Impact, and Individual Achievement. It is a celebration of the excellence and innovation within Minnesota’s technology ecosystem.

The 2024 Tekne Awards event was nothing short of incredible! Held at the Minneapolis Convention Center and hosted by the amazing Angela Davis radio show host on Minnesota Public Radio, the event was filled with brilliant technology leaders who are shaping Minnesota’s business ecosystem.


I am beyond proud to share that we did it! We brought home the Tekne Award (glass flame) for Exceptional Tech Leadership!!! 🏆

I say “we” because this achievement is not mine alone—it’s a reflection of the support of my wife and family, mentors, the tech community, and all the people who inspire me every day. Together, we’re driving change, sharing knowledge, connecting people, and creating opportunities for those who traditionally haven’t had a seat at the table in tech.

What made the evening even more special was having one of my sons, present me with the award.

I also want to extend a huge shoutout to the other exceptional nominees in this category: Greg Larson, Michael G. Wulf, Ed.D., Yanina Grinberg, Justin Grammens, and Amy Patton. This was a fiercely competitive category, and it’s truly an honor to be recognized alongside such impactful leaders.

Many of you I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with, and I look forward to finding ways to work with the rest of you. Your work is inspiring—let’s keep pushing boundaries and making a difference!

Also a congrats to all the other winners throughout the night! Here is a video with more pics from the award night:


A heartfelt thank you to the Minnesota Technology Association and the incredible team behind the Tekne Awards, including Jeff Tollefson, Ismail Ali, Keegan Carda, Ama Asantewaa, Lonni Ranallo, Piper Cleaveland, and everyone else who makes this event possible. Your dedication to fueling Minnesota’s tech ecosystem and supporting the next generation of technologists is truly commendable.

The future of tech in Minnesota is bright, and I’m excited to continue contributing to this amazing community. Let’s keep the momentum going!

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