Maryland Tech Council Announces Finalists for 2026 ICON Awards

Winners to be Celebrated at the Industry Awards Celebration on May 21

ROCKVILLE, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Maryland Tech Council (MTC), the state’s largest technology and life sciences trade association, has announced the finalists for the 2026 ICON Awards. These prestigious awards recognize outstanding leadership, innovation, and impact across Maryland.

Winners will be revealed at the annual Industry Awards Celebration on May 21, 2026, at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center in North Bethesda, Maryland.

“This year’s ICON Awards finalists reflect the extraordinary talent and innovation driving Maryland’s technology and life sciences community,” said Kelly Schulz, CEO of the Maryland Tech Council. “Each finalist is pushing boundaries, creating opportunity, and helping position Maryland as a national leader in innovation. We are excited to recognize their accomplishments and celebrate with the community in May.”

Finalists for the 2026 ICON Awards include:

Life Sciences CEO of the Year

• Jill Goodwin, CEO, Axis Research and Technologies
• Benjamin Holmes, CEO, Nanochon
• Maher Masoud, CEO, MaxCyte
• Cha-Mei Tang, CEO, CreatvBio
• Laura Vivian, CEO, TrilliumBiO

Technology CEO of the Year

• Nick Damoulakis, CEO, Orases
• Niccolo de Masi, Chairman & CEO, IonQ
• Brian Hatmaker, CEO, Stulz Air Technology Systems
• David Kaspary, CEO, MidPoint Technology Group
• Ted Schremp, CEO, IQ Fiber

Government Contracting CEO of the Year

• Josh Araujo, CEO, Forterra
• Ethan Kazi, CEO, The Canton Group
• Joseph Nguyen, CEO, Veritech
• Eduardo Ortiz, CEO, Coforma

Life Sciences C-Suite of the Year

• Nathan Castro, CTO, Nanochon
• Gregory Couto, CFO, Mindoula
• Hanne Andersen Elyard, Ph.D., President and CSO, BIOQUAL
• Timothy Fouts, CSO, ABL
• David Stewart, COO, Theradaptive

Technology C-Suite of the Year

• Robert Charles, CFO & CCO, Digital Harbor Foundation
• Denise Garcia, CLO, Floreo
• Matteo del Ninno, CTO, JumpLights
• Jenny Mathew, COO, Aidar Health

Government Contracting C-Suite of the Year

• Peter Corluyan, COO, The Canton Group
• Chris Embert, COO, West 4th Strategy
• David Goldstein, CFO, Red Alpha

Life Sciences Company of the Year

• Bora Pharmaceuticals
• Kite, a Gilead Company
• MaxCyte
• Mindoula

Technology Company of the Year

• Advantage.Tech
• Aligned Data Centers
• Stulz Air Technology Systems

Government Contracting Company of the Year

• Coforma
• Digital Infuzion
• Dynanet Corporation
• Forterra
• The Canton Group

Life Sciences Innovation (Under $25 Million)

• Cellphire Therapeutics
• Clym Environmental Services
• Fina Biosolutions
• World BioHazTec

Technology Innovation (Under $25 Million)

• Inflectra
• InfoPathways
• Medical Decision Logic
• Orases
• RedZone Technologies

Emerging Life Sciences Company of the Year

• Fzata
• Modelus
• Precision Medicine Care (PMC^®)
• The LaunchPort
• TrilliumBiO

Emerging Technology Company of the Year

• Dwellwell Analytics
• InventWood
• Sorcero
• VanishID
• VOLT AI

Emerging Government Contracting Company of the Year

• ADACEN Federal
• Red Alpha
• Secom
• Tullis Strategic Solutions
• Veritech

Pava LaPere Young Innovator of the Year

• Long-Chen (Tommy) Li, CEO, Co-Founder, BioBuild
• Jonathan Maa, CEO, Maxim Biomedical
• Eman Mirdamadi, SAE, R&D, Nanochon
• Mantej Singh, CTO, Modelus
• Naomi Winston, CEO, The Creative Representation Empire

This year’s Industry Awards Celebration embraces the theme Starry Nights, where industry stars and innovation leaders come together to showcase the brilliance driving Maryland’s life sciences and technology community. The evening will feature networking, conversation, and recognition of the individuals and companies shaping the state’s innovation economy.

For more information about the Industry Awards Celebration and to purchase tickets, visit https://mdtechcouncil.com/icon-awards/.

About the Maryland Tech Council

The Maryland Tech Council (MTC) is a collaborative community that is actively engaged in building strong technology and life science industries by supporting the efforts of our individual members. We are the largest technology and life sciences trade association in the state of Maryland, and we provide value by giving members a forum to learn, share, and connect. With 800+ member organizations, MTC brings the region’s community together into a single, united organization that empowers our members to achieve their business goals through advocacy, networking, and education. The vision for the Maryland Tech Council is to propel Maryland to become the number one innovation economy for life sciences and technology in the country. Follow us at mdtechcouncil.com, LinkedIn, Facebook, X, and Youtube.