“Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship. The act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth.”

–Peter Drucker, Management Consultant


By Larry K. Williams, TAG president and CEO

The innovation economy is about more than ideas. It’s about doing things.

One of the ways TAG creates value for members is by recognizing the select few innovators who put the best and brightest ideas into action. Their determination to deliver results benefits the whole technology ecosystem, and TAG is proud to honor their creativity, leadership and success.

I look forward to highlighting our most innovative businesses at the Georgia Technology Summit April 26 and 27. An important part of our program is the TAG Top 40 and Top 10 awards. Applications are open through March 18, 2022.

How do we award “Top 40” recognition? First, eligible companies must be Georgia-based and focused on the creation, development and dissemination of technology. Then we evaluate a few specific criteria focused on innovation, including:

  • degree of innovation,
  • scope and financial impact of innovation,
  • likelihood of success,
  • promotion of Georgia’s innovative efforts nationally and internationally.

Special thanks to Dennis Zakas, TAG’s Top 40 Award Chairman, for leading this annual effort to recognize talent and innovation in our thriving technology community. The Top 10 and Top 40 award program has a fantastic track record of picking tomorrow’s winners. Twenty TAG Top 40 winners earned recognition on the 2021 list of Inc.’s 5000 fastest growing companies.

These days, with digital transformation a priority and capital pouring into new technologies, most every business is a tech business. The technology ecosystem is changing and expanding into every sector of the economy. We saw this with the winners of the 2022 TAG Technology Awards announced last month.

Another way TAG creates value for up-and-coming businesses is the Fintech South Innovation Challenge’s Education and Mentoring program. This event takes place June 14 and 15, and the idea is to bring startups and industry veterans together to bolster our dynamic and growing fintech industry.

New companies compete on Fintech South’s main stage for a chance to win a $25,000 cash prize and one-year admission to the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC). We’ve seen some brilliant ideas from these entrepreneurs come to fruition over the years.

One of the perks of my job is to get to know the innovators in action and help tell their amazing stories. Georgia’s tech community is coming off a banner year for investment and innovation. So I’m expecting a deep pool of candidates for TAG Top 40 next month and for our other award programs throughout the year.

 

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