Meet the 2023 Southwest honorees

Suchi Acharya is the Founder & CEO of AyuVis Research, Inc.

AyuVis designs and develops novel small molecule immunotherapies to prevent and treat inflammatory and infectious diseases by modulating the innate immune system based on a platform technology of macrophage modulation. The lead candidate, AVR-48, with an excellent safety profile, is at the IND-stage and been granted orphan drug and rare pediatric disease designations by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in preterm infants. Follow-on respiratory conditions with unmet need include acute respiratory distress syndrome, multi-drug resistant ventilator-associated pneumonia and ventilator-induced lung injury. Therapeutic areas that can be addressed by our drug candidates include ocular, renal, skin, and intestinal diseases and complicated infections (sepsis). AyuVis’ technology is protected by two approved and four pending patents and has five peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals. AyuVis has received three NIH SBIR grants and more are in review. The company raised seed funding and is raising Series A equity funding to fund Phase 1 safety and Phase 2a early PoC clinical trials to move to the clinical stage and advance the pipeline. Strategic discussions with pharmaceutical companies are in progress. 

Matt Wadiak is the CEO & Founder of Cooks Venture.

Founded in 2019, Cooks Venture is a vertically integrated heritage breeding and animal agriculture company committed to regenerative agriculture and a truly transparent supply chain for the future. Founded by Matthew Wadiak, Cooks Venture aims to reimagine animal agriculture and chicken breeding while promoting regenerative agriculture at all levels, providing consumers with healthy food choices that are exceptional in quality and taste and grown in regenerative systems. Cooks Venture is a Global Animal Partnership certified company, Certified Humane and verified Non-GMO. Cooks Venture works with Food ID to verify its no-antibiotics claim.

Marcus P. Randolph is the CEO & Chairman of Ecobat.

Ecobat is the world's leading battery recycler and the world’s largest lead producer. The company has many major lead plants in the US, Europe and Africa. Ecobat is also rapidly growing as a recycler of lithium batteries with two plants in Europe and one under construction in the USA.

Aaron Smith is the CEO of FlexCare Infusion Centers.

FlexCare Infusion Centers provide specialty infusion and injections to adult and pediatric patients with rare, chronic and complex conditions. Our expertise includes neurology, immunology, GI and rheumatology.

J. Brooks is the Founder & CEO of GlassView.

We  have built the world’s first neuromarketing solution at scale. By harnessing the power of the customer unconscious, we are helping our customers elevate their brands.

We work with clients to help increase connection and return on ad spend. 

In our nine years of existence, we have also become the largest independent video distribution platform on the planet, according to Comscore 2023.

Additional products of note are SmartGamma™, GV QuickDraw and emotional-based targeting, all examples of Wall Street-style algorithms that make sure we get our brand’s products in front of the right people at the right time.

Dave Wengel is the Founder & CEO of iDatafy.

SmartResume is a certified talent network that:

• Helps education and training partners attest to the talent of individuals
• Helps job seekers deploy their skills to be discovered, recruited and hired
• Helps employers find certified talent in an entirely new way
• All through verified credentials on a certified SmartResume

Rod Millar is the CEO of Likewize.

Tech is great when it works; we are here for when it doesn’t. Likewize is the fastest-growing device protection company in the world. Our complete solution protects customers against every eventuality; whether a device is stolen or broken, malfunctions, needs support or is outdated, Likewize has it covered.

Among our solutions, Likewize is the world leader in premium tech support, the largest upgrade and trade-in player in the industry, and the largest device protection provider outside the US and Japan. Our solutions are used by millions of customers worldwide.

Our customer life-centric approach when developing products, improving our operations and managing the business generally allowed us to become a leading player in the last three years.

Matt Bowers is the Founder, COO, & President of Lone Star Analysis.

Lone Star Analysis® is a US-based provider of applied decision intelligence and engineering solutions. We harness predictive and prescriptive analytics, Evolved Artificial Intelligence® and inherent knowledge to enhance innovation, create economic strength and make the world safer.

Organizations are often uncertain how to analyze and leverage their data to make informed decisions. Lone Star’s technology greatly reduces the amount of uncertainty around these critical business decisions. Our solutions enable companies to use data to substantially improve their operational and financial performance. Lone Star provides our advanced predictive and prescriptive analytics to help our clients: 

• Optimize operations 
• Compete in markets 
• Maximize asset performanceWe consistently deliver quantifiable operational business value, with ROI ranging from 20:1 to 100:1. Since 2004, hundreds of leaders have trusted Lone Star Analysis to deliver actionable answers to complex problems in aerospace, defense, energy, logistics, manufacturing, transportation and more.

Jordan Curnes is the President & Co-Founder of MicroTransponder.

MicroTransponder®, Inc. is a privately held medical device company committed to developing research-based neuroscience solutions. The company focuses on restoring dignity for people suffering from neurological conditions that impair sensory and motor function. MicroTransponder’s FDA-approved Vivistim® Paired VNS™ System is a first-of-its-kind, clinically proven medical technology that generates two to three times more improvement in upper limb function than rehabilitation alone for stroke survivors after six weeks of in-clinic therapy. For more information, visit Vivistim.com.

Matt Alexander is the Founder & CEO of Neighborhood Goods.

Neighborhood Goods is a new type of department store that features an ever-changing landscape of modern brands alongside its own restaurants, event programming, private label lines and more.

The company operates large-format stores, where it captures data, acquires customers and sells products on behalf of a highly selective group of brands, many of which have never otherwise been in physical retail.

Neighborhood Goods has locations in Austin and Plano, Texas, as well as New York and, soon, Los Angeles and Newport Beach, California, and Nashville, Tennessee.

Rather than operating on a wholesale basis, brands pay to be in each store, while the company also takes a revenue share. As a result, Neighborhood Goods does not have inventory risk and can accomplish a broader range of objectives for its partners.

Blake Vincent and Bryan Vincent are the Founders & Managing Partners of Principal LED, LLC dba Principal Industries.

In 12 years, Principal Industries has grown from a startup in a 1,000-square-foot office with a shed in the back to the largest provider of electrical sign components in North America and operations across Europe and the rest of the world. The company achieved this through a simple mission — “We exist to simplify the lives of our customers.” Principal Industries executes that mission by offering innovative, easy-to-use, value-added products, software and services. The company is also laser focused on serving its customers. The company provides a complete line of innovative products and services to the sign, architectural and other markets, including aviation and the pool and spa industry. Principal Industries is the only company that offers LED sign modules that are exclusively manufactured and assembled in the United States and is the specified LED provider to hundreds of global brands. The company holds a number of patents and is credited with creating the fluorescent to LED retrofit market for commercial sign cabinets. Most important, the company loves its industry and what it does every day.

Lisa Hanlon-Knight is the CEO of Teltech Communications.

Teltech Communications LLC, dba Teltech Group, solves business challenges surrounding network asset management, warehousing and logistics, personnel expertise/shortages, and practical utilization of evolving technologies. Since 1999, Teltech Group has successfully operated in the telecommunications industry and that legacy experience has led the way for work and success in other industries. The company understands the need to bring simple solutions to complex challenges. Its diverse team of industry veterans offer clients the expertise to transform networks, manage assets, implement new smart technology and provide alternative cost-effective solutions. Built upon a tradition of “doing it right the first time” and tackling challenges that fit the company’s capabilities, Teltech Group creates solutions for today’s and tomorrow’s business challenges. Teltech Group is Native American and woman-owned and headquartered in Frisco, Texas, and has locations across the US.

Tom Parker is the CEO & President of TJP Enterprises, LLC.

TJP Entreprises is a tire recycling center providing a full range of tire collection, disposal and recycling services. The company’s recycled rubber products work to support sustainable asphalt roads, provide green energy solutions and become a variety of recycled products.