Sewickley, Penn., July 30, 2026 — The Technology Councils of North America (TECNA), representing nearly 60 technology associations across the U.S. and Canada, announces the winners of its eighth-annual TECNA Innovation Awards. These awards recognize and celebrate the standout creativity and useful contributions made by individuals and teams to improve their technology community.

The award ceremony was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during the annual TECNA Summer Conference on July 21. The awards were presented by Doug Robertson, CEO from Venn Innovation in Moncton, New Brunswick, and Marie Pelloni, Sr. Director of Talent & Workforce Development Initiatives, Pittsburgh Technology Council, along with Lisa Cashmore, Vice President, Client Service from NorthGuide based in Kitchener, Ontario.

"Every year, TECNA member organizations push the boundaries of what's possible in the ecosystems they serve," said Jennifer Young, TECNA CEO. "This year's winners didn't just innovate — they delivered results you can measure. Excellence at the local level adds up: when our members thrive, the North American innovation ecosystem thrives with them."

The 2026 Innovation Awards winners include:

Marketing & Communications Award - recognizing teams who developed innovative marketing, communications, or social media strategies strengthening the brand and community engagement of the tech council.

Winner – KC Tech Council
KC TechBridge is an employer-led coalition initiative designed to align employers, educators, and workforce partners to fill 100% of Kansas City's tech roles with local talent. Driven by a low-budget, high-touchpoint communications strategy prioritizing trust and psychological safety, the program grew its network from 75 to 1,416 stakeholders in nine months. Outreach included 28 targeted emails with a 67% open rate, eight inclusive gatherings, and a custom Data Intelligence Dashboard.


Talent Pipeline & Workforce: STEM & Students Award – recognizing teams who have developed innovative workforce or talent pipeline initiatives for K-12 STEM, higher-ed STEM, CTE, or internships.

Winner – Pittsburgh Technology Council
PTC’s L.A.U.N.C.H. (Learn Aspire Understand Navigate Connect Highlight) empowers 11th and 12th-grade students along STEM career pathways through paid summer cohorts, industry tours, and speed mentoring. Students receive $10/hour to eliminate socioeconomic barriers while working alongside mentors from nearly 1,000 member companies to solve real business challenges. Operating across 42 school districts, the program has engaged 162 students and 187 mentors, expanding into three coed cohorts for 2026.


Talent Pipeline and Workforce: Upskilling & Professional Development Award – 2 Winners – recognizing teams or individuals who have developed innovative workforce or talent pipeline initiatives for training/re-training, apprenticeships, job portals, mentoring, coding and DEI.

Winner 1 – Technology Association of Georgia
TAG’s workforce initiative delivers upskilling, reskilling, mentorship, and executive connections to create accessible entry points into high-demand tech careers, particularly for individuals without four-year degrees. By linking education, employers, and investors through programs like Invest Connect, the initiative created over 11,000 workforce pathways and facilitated startup investment funding. Supported by a $520,000 budget from grants, donations, and earned revenue, the program achieved 130% of its targeted outcome metrics.

Winner 2 – Shannon McMackin, Venn Innovation
Venn’s Tech Connect Southeast Program supports Canadian newcomers through 16-week, full-time paid work placements combined with job search coaching, workplace culture training, and technical upskilling. Participants gain Canadian experience by building custom digital systems for local non-profit organizations. In its first cohort, 100% of participants secured multiple job interviews, achieving a 75% employment placement rate within 90 days and generating a projected $900,000+ in annual direct salaries for the local economy.


Major Impact on Tech Community Award – recognizing teams who have made a substantial impact on the tech community or on the community at large.

Winner – Nexus Louisiana
Launched in 2025, the statewide Nexus Technology Cup connects high school students, college learners, and professional entrepreneurs into multidisciplinary teams to solve real-world challenges posed by leading employers. The structured pipeline offers technical resources, mentorship, and non-dilutive capital. In its inaugural year, 75 participants across 25 teams produced functional technology prototypes and competed for $100,000 in funding, creating direct pathways to internships, hiring, and startup deployment across Louisiana.


Public Policy Advocacy Award - recognizing teams who have led creative efforts on behalf of their tech council in the area of public policy advocacy.

Winner – KC Tech Council
KC Tech Council led a strategic advocacy initiative resulting in the April 2025 signing of Kansas Senate Bill 98. The legislation established a 20-year sales tax exemption for qualifying data center investments, positioning the state to capture competitive digital infrastructure projects before federal and regional landscapes shifted. The effort attracted 15+ new infrastructure members, generated $50k+ in annual dues, and spawned an annual Energy & Data Center Innovation Summit.


Member & Client Services Award – recognizing teams who implemented innovative work or projects that creatively recruited or retained council members and/or clients beyond normal daily operations and events to recruit or retain member clients.

Winner –  MKE Tech Hub Coalition
The Gather & Grow program reimagines member engagement by replacing large corporate parties with 16 intimate, curated dinners of 6 to 8 people. Held across Greater Milwaukee, each invitation-only dinner brought together tech members, executives, startup founders, and local officials to foster cross-sector connections. Led by Table Captains equipped with discussion prompts and restaurant gift cards, the pilot engaged 100+ attendees and generated high organic social media reach. Gather & Grow intentionally creates spaces where relationships form, trust is built, and collaboration begins.


All Innovation Awards nominees completed outstanding work. TECNA Member organizations vary in organization size, budget and age of their organizations, and they all serve their communities and member companies well and innovate, year after year. Congratulations again to the 2026 TECNA Innovation Awards winners!


About TECNA
The Technology Councils of North America (TECNA) is a federation of approximately 60 highly collaborative technology councils and trade associations in the US and Canada. TECNA combines the expertise and influence of its member councils and associations – and the 22,000 technology companies they serve – to achieve outcomes that individual organizations cannot achieve alone. We use that expertise and influence to promote innovation and help grow the North American economy. More information on TECNA can be found at: tecna.org, on X/Twitter or Linkedin.


Contact:
Alina Hardy
Communications Director
ahardy@tecna.org

Jennifer G. Young
Chief Executive Officer
jyoung@tecna.org

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