Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group Announces 2022 #GameChanger Awards

PLEASANTON, Calif. — March 3, 2022 Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group (ITV), in partnership with BRIIA: the Intelligent Accelerator, and StartUp Tri-Valley, are bringing together the region's thriving network of innovators to honor 11 leading companies who are changing the game, globally, from the heart of the Bay Area's Tri-Valley. The annual #GameChangers Awards will be held Thursday, March 10, gathering founders, mentors, and disruptors in the fastest-growing region in the Bay Area.

“The #GameChangers Awards shine a spotlight on emerging leaders who are making groundbreaking changes in the world from this regional epicenter of solutions,” says Lynn Naylor, CEO of ITV. “This incredible group of thought leaders and innovators is fueling the Tri-Valley as an economic juggernaut."

2022 #GameChanger Award Winners:

Acton (Livermore), an end-to-end Micromobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) solution provider to move people and goods intelligently

AEye (Dublin), an artificial perception pioneer and provider of intelligent, next-generation, adaptive LiDAR for vehicle autonomy, advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), and robotic vision applications

BoxMedia (Danville), disrupting traditional workforce training models and replacing them with personalized, interactive, engaging media that focuses on changing behavior

Crosschq (Danville), pioneers of the Talent Intelligence Cloud™ to gather direct insights from people, for people, and transforming those insights into powerfully predictive data to help ensure a great job match

IrisVision (Pleasanton), a global leader in digital vision technologies, IrisVision synthesizes neuroscience, augmented reality, and wearable mobile devices to offer people with low vision a new future for vision health

Monarch Tractor (Livermore), the world’s first fully electric, driver optional, smart tractor, empowers sustainable farming, increases efficiency and data analysis to improve farming practices and enhance yields

Raydiant Oximetry (San Ramon), developer of a non-invasive medical device designed to become the new standard of care for fetal monitoring during childbirth

Striking Distance Studios (San Ramon), led by Dead Space and Call of Duty franchise veteran Glen Schofield, this state-of-the-art studio in Bishop Ranch is creating at the vibrant intersection of art, design, and technology

Tekion (Pleasanton), innovator of the Automotive Retail Cloud ™ (ARC), Tekion uses big data, machine learning, and AI to bring together manufacturers, retailers/dealers, and consumers, revolutionizing automotive sales

Vagaro (Dublin), the leading cloud-based business management platform for beauty, fitness, and wellness businesses, recently announced it has raised a new round of funding, now valuing the company at $1 billion

The Founders Award is bestowed on a visionary organization that has worked to improve the innovation ecosystem of the region through community engagement and collaboration with other Tri-Valley leaders. The 2022 Founders Award is being shared with the Advanced Manufacturing Lab at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Livermore). Situated in the Livermore Valley Open Campus (LVOC), this collaborative space brings together LLNL’s science and engineering experts with academia and industry, creating dynamic public-private partnerships to address manufacturing challenges.

Stephanie Beasly of Sandia National Laboratories and a 2018 Founder’s Award Recipient says “As a past award recipient and regular presenter, I am always inspired and energized by this annual event. The energy in the room is electric, the award recipient stories are inspiring and the in-person connections are invaluable. It’s an evening that reinvigorates optimism about the growth in the region.” 

Past #GameChangers include 10xGenomics, Topcon, Carl Zeiss, Lam Research, Unchained Labs, Saba, TROV, and Vericool. 

The Tri-Valley, a confluence of three valleys geographically positioned in the center of the Northern CA Megaregion, established itself nearly 70 years ago as an early pioneer in the science and tech ecosystem as it is home to two national research laboratories, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories. With a sunny, temperate climate, unparalleled quality of life with top-notch public schools, a highly educated and skilled talent pool, and convenient proximity to a vast innovation resource network, over 450 tech companies call the Tri-Valley home and currently drive a $42B GDP for the region.

The Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group’s 2022 #GameChangers Awards will be held on Thursday, March 10th from 5-7 pm at Goal Line Productions in Pleasanton. Further information is available at innovationtrivalley.org.

About Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group:  

Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group (ITV) is a collective of leaders and influencers committed to connecting the businesses, educational institutions, research labs, and civic leaders in the Tri-Valley region. ITV showcases the region as a technology and innovation powerhouse, outpacing the Bay Area mega-region in both job creation and economic growth. According to the Tri-Valley Rising report published by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, the Tri-Valley is home to 450 technology companies and the regional innovation economy drives a $42 billion GDP. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Media contact information:  

Katie Marcel

Innovation Tri-Valley Leadership Group 

kmarcel@innovationtrivalley.org