MN, Blow Your Tech Horn: 10 years of the Tekne Awards

The Tekne Awards honor amazing companies and people, present and past, who have made Minnesota a thriving innovation culture. They're a good excuse to turn away from the economic gloom and doom and remember why Minnesota is a great place to grow and launch ideas.

By egrumbles

November 9, 2009 — 10:30am

The week before last I was fortunate to be able to attendthe Tekne Awards, guest of Joy Lindsay (a great MN innovator/investor). Tekne, created by the Minnesota High TechAssociation (MHTA) to recognize companies and individuals contributing to Minnesota techinnovation, has been going strong now for ten years. Two great things about Tekne: learning about amazingMN tech companies and leaders; and learning about Minnesota's remarkable tech legacy (via Science& Technology Hall of Fame inductions).

Frankly, it was a breath of fresh air after several monthsof economic gloom and doom and reports of underfunded Minnesota startups looking elsewhere forfinancing and support. One only has toread the business press to see the hardball efforts of Wisconsin,Michigan, New York and other states to grow and newlure new enterprise for the 21^st century. In our (overly) humble Minnesota culture, we need to toot our ownhorn sometimes. Who provided hope at the awards? Try NoninMedical, Inc. (Plymouth),which is a tech leader in non-invasive physiological monitoring products (pulseoximeters; capnographs). Or VAST Enterprises, LLC (Minneapolis), which is making high-tech paversthat are 95% recycled material, but can withstand weather and wear better thanconcrete. And even Ecolab, which continues to push the frontiersof sustainabilityand green practices. Here's the completelist,including several individuals who were honored.

What about the Science&Technology Hall of Famers? Think: C. Walton Lillehei, M.D. (the "father"of open heart surgery); Earl H. Wood, Ph.D. (co-inventor of the G-Suit);William F. Austin (hearing aid pioneer; Starkey Laboratories CEO); and RichardGurley Drew (3M inventor of masking tape and transparent tape – aka SCOTCH®tape). See the full list here. Amazing folks, rightly honored for technologicalleadership and real-world problem-solving in Minnesota.

We have a lot to be proud of in Minnesota: a world-classresearch university; 92% high school graduation rate (we're tied for tops); over30 Fortune 500 companies; a killer medical device and life sciences startupscene (maybe killer not the right word?); and an environment that supportscreativity and communal effort. But we reallyneed to focus our efforts, promote startup-friendly policies, nurture ourcommunity of innovators, and work to narrow the gap between new enterprise andfinance if we're going to stay competitive.And the Tekne Awards are a great reminder to keep up the fight.