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Some perspective from Greg Smith, Tech Titan winner and committee member

It’s Tech Titans season here at the MTBC. That means a full committee of volunteers and staff are now actively planning for the Tech Titans Gala, which will occur Friday, August 23. Tech Titans is very significant for me. I have been on the Tech Titans committee for five years now. Several years ago I was extremely honored to be selected as the emerging company CEO of the year. I can claim the title of Tech Titan, and I do it with much honor.

Tech Titans is like no other event hosted by the MTBC. This is not your average banquet that we’re talking about. It’s a black tie gala where many great cutting edge leaders from Texas tech industry are recognized for doing something truly great in the technology world – telecommunications, software, bio-med and others. These are people doing truly great things to make our industry better, not just Texas, but globally. The gala is truly a night to remember

Tech Titans is the Academy Awards of Texas tech industry. High-tech companies, organizations that implement unique high-tech elements in their business, technologists themselves and even high schools and colleges/universities are recognized each year for their special programs fostering technology advancement. More than 750 people come out for this affair, which has been completely sold out for the past three years.

The Tech Titans committee is in full swing planning for the multi $100,000 gala. Nominations are being sought. Judges (secretly) are being briefed. Multi-media is well into the planning stages. Advertising, both print and online, is well underway. The goal of the committee each year is to ensure that the very finest of North Texas are recognized. Categories garner from 15 to 25 nominations each (some smaller). Those nominations are whittled down to the finest three to five finalists in each category. Those finalists are formally announced and the Tech Titans recipients are announced at the Gala.

I love working on this committee. It is an opportunity for me to give back to the North Texas tech community that has been so good to me for more than 25 years. Being selected as CEO of the Year was over the top. I was so proud for myself, and particularly for the people of my company. They were proud to have our company singled out. Our customers and prospects also were happy to hear of a Tech Titan award. Nothing but good comes of this.

If you are an MTBC member, you too could participate in the planning for this event. Join our committee. There is always something for people to do, and it’s a great way to network.

Nominations are open and being accepted through May 24. The real success of the Tech Titans program comes for great nominations, and it very easy to nominate (even easier this year). High impact with a high-tech audience.

View professional photos from the 2012 event. View candids from the MTBC camera. More candids

Visit the MTBC website for the press release about Tech Titan winners.
Watch a video from the red carpet and hear about the excitement from attendees.

Krish Prabhu announced as Hall of Fame inductee for 2012

The Hall of Fame award recognizes an individual as a technology visionary for outstanding leadership in advancing the technology industry in North Texas; spanning more than a decade and reaching far beyond the individual’s current company or organization.

Krish Prabhu is president of AT&T Labs and CTO of AT&T, overseeing AT&T’s global technology effort and innovation strategy. His work includes network design and planning, product and application development, and responsibility for AT&T Labs and its security and intellectual property organizations. Prabhu has held a variety of positions, including work with Bell Labs, Alcatel-Lucent, Xylan Corporation, Tekelec, Morgenthaler Venture Partners and Mobility Ventures.

“Krish Prabhu is a true luminary in the telecommunications industry, focused on what he calls an increasingly ‘intelligent’ digital network,” said Bill Sproull, president andCEOof the MTBC. “Krish’s groundbreaking work has led to faster Internet connections, enabling video and better VOIP calling. More recently, one of Krish’s contributions at AT&T is making its network more accessible to outside parties, enabling developers and start-up entrepreneurs to work in concert with AT&T to create applications of the future.”