Awards

2018 Tech Awards: The Rising Stars

Glendale’s 1st Annual Tech Awards was a star studded affair as 9 rising stars from the local tech scene were lauded for their inspiring work. Attendees were wowed by the exceptional talent being recognized during the closing celebration of Glendale Tech Week which was held at the Americana at Brand this past September.

Benztown, a leader in international radio imaging, provides digital services to over a thousand radio stations around the world. And while they’re well known for their radio production prowess including jingles, this year they received a nod for their standout workplace culture with the Best Culture Award. Headquartered in Glendale, Benztown is known for fostering a respectful environment where employees feel free to share ideas and opinions. Family vibes reign supreme with regular team outings and birthday celebrations!

Our minds were blown when we learned about Crescenta Valley High School Junior, Rohin Manvi, recipient of the Student Innovation (K-12) Award. After a visit to a relative’s village in India, Rohin discovered that water is not available there 24/7. The government supplies water for 2-4 hours up to two times per week. Since the water is not released on a predictable schedule, those who miss the window of opportunity are left without water. Rohin developed the Water Notifier app, which is currently being used by residents in villages where water is rationed. Sensors along the water network send notices to villagers through the app when the water is being released.

Rohin Manvi, Student Innovation Award Winner

In the VR/AR/AI category, Screen Door Labs was recognized for its development of ARescue, an AR communication tool for first responders that gives them access to 2D & 3D maps, geotags, data and video feeds all accessible through handsfree AR glasses. Additionally, Beyond Limits was also honored for their AI solutions for a variety of industries including finance, healthcare, energy, manufacturing and beyond!

The Privacy & Security Award recognizes progressive accomplishments in the way we go about securing data and ensuring privacy; and Reevert’s “all-in-one'“ technology came out on top. It features back-up services, ransomware protection and recovery tools all managed with one user friendly dashboard that provides hourly, daily, weekly and monthly account snapshots.

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Ani Torosyan, received the Glendale Young Entrepreneur Award for her food sharing app DishDivvy. The app brings matchmaking to a delicious new level as hungry people can meet home cooks with a passion for creating delectable dishes. Dinner is served!

Rounding out the night’s winners were:

  • Student Innovation Award (Post Secondary) - Sebouh & Shawnt Bazikian, Bikes 4 Orphans

  • Best Pivot Award - Adriana Torresan, Founder & CEO of Lupn

  • Health, Med + Bio Tech Award - SnapMD

2018 Tech Week Highlights

The  3rd annual Glendale Tech Week, held from September 15-21, featured seven jam packed days of all-you-can-tech. Over 3,500 entrepreneurs, funders, startup founders and leaders in a variety of industries gathered in downtown Glendale to participate in our action-packed lineup. Over 30 sessions featured panels and talks with experts, a career fair, VC matchmaking, mentoring & networking opportunities, VR and AR experiences, mixers and more.  Plus, this year’s Glendale Tech Week included 9 events for youth and families.

 The region’s growing tech industry showed up in full force to discuss the latest in Artificial Intelligence, Bio & Health Tech, Machine Learning, Digital Media & Marketing, Software Design, Virtual Reality, Cybersecurity, Robotics and more.

FEATURED EVENTS

  • Pitchfest, our very own “shark tank” style startup competition did not disappoint as 11 finalists competed for a $60,000 prize package.

  •  With over 300 jobs up for grabs hundreds of job seekers flocked to the Tech Career Fair hosted by the Verdugo Jobs Center. Recruiters from some of the region’s top employers including Age of Learning, Service Titan, Cal Tech, LegalZoom, dot818 and Phonexa were on site in search of fresh talent.

  •  Entrepreneurs had a variety of opportunities to connect with VC funders throughout the week and during “Meet the Funders” a speed networking event where startups had valuable facetime with potential investors.

OUR SPONSORS

Glendale Tech Week would not be possible without the support of local businesses and tech firms including  Avery Dennison, dot818, Phonexa, Downtown Glendale Association, Glendale Arts, Service Titan, LANAIR Group, Applied Earth Sciences, the GCC Professional Development Center , Adventist Health and GWP. 

Glendale Tech Week is all about bringing together ideas, capital, and talent  to foster mutually beneficial connections. But we didn’t forget to factor in some fun! In addition to a handful of mixers that took place throughout the week, over 500 attendees joined us for our closing party and tech awards at the Americana at Brand.

Watch our recap video and relive your favorite moments from Glendale Tech Week 2018. We look forward to seeing you in 2019.