FUTURE 50 INVENTION
LOGISTICS LEADER
BIOTECH BOOSTER
ADAM CROSSNO
GABBY EVERETT
Founder and CEO
Director of Business Operations & Strategy and Site Head
RETAIL REVOLUTIONARY
MIRNA ABYAD BALOUL President, COO, and Secretary of the Board
Spacee Baloul is the legal brain helping protect and advance the transformative products coming these days out of Spacee, the Dallas-based computer vision- and AI-powered startup for retailers and consumer brands. A former patent attorney, senior counsel, and global strategy manager at Texas Instruments, the Spacee president often travels the world touting the company’s interactive HoverTouch systems and Deming shelf-mounted robot, which provides stores with precise supply-chain data. She describes the latter as “bleeding-edge technology that is basically revolutionizing retail,” potentially
SIGNAL SAGE
ANDREW SILVER Co-Founder and CTO/CISO
Tango Networks
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saving customers billions of dollars that are lost in poorly tracked or out-of-stock inventory. Spacee currently boasts 14 “patent families,” equating to about 60 to 70 patent applications worldwide, as it looks to defend its devices at every stage of development, she says. After meeting Spacee founder and CEO Skip Howard when she was giving an IP presentation to his computer vision team, Baloul says she found it “next to impossible” not to join the company herself. “It’s always exciting to walk in the office and see what’s going on today, and see all the wonderful things,” she says. —Q.P.
Crossno’s OnAsset Intelligence is a pacesetter in real-time logistics. Founded in 2005, the company came up with supply-chain tracking and management solutions even before Apple unveiled its first smartphone—and long before supply-chain management issues became headline news. Today the Irving-based company leverages AI and ML to enable real-time tracking of shipments, minimizing supply-chain hassles for its customers. “We were one of the first to focus on tracking and monitoring individual shipments regardless of the truck or container they were in,” Crossno says. OnAsset was also the first to gain FAA approval for an active tracking device for air cargo and assisted in the rollout of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. “The future is all about using real-time data to make extremely fast business decisions and deliver new layers of service and visibility to end customers,” says Crossno. —M.A.
A force in telecom and a prolific inventor, Silver received his 100th patent in late 2021—many related to Tango’s work giving businesses control over mobile voice, messaging, and data in a “work-from-anywhere world.” Then, in 2022, he helped Tango hit the same milestone with its 100th patent. Based in Frisco and Leeds, England, Tango launched a service last August that provides mobile communications to frontline and deskless workers—such as delivery and in-home services people—turning any “bring your own device” phone into a fully featured business line. When he’s not bagging patents, Silver is speaking at industry forums and serving on the board of the IEEE Dallas Communications & Vehicular Technology Society. Oh, and did we mention he’s a helicopter pilot? That’s what we call taking off. — D.S.
D A L L A S I N N O VAT E S | 2 0 2 3 E D I T I O N
BioLabs at Pegasus Park Since launching in March 2022 with 37,000 square feet of coworking lab and office facilities, BioLabs at Pegasus Park has helped boost the North Texas region’s growing status as a biotech center. Everett notes that the cost of doing science—particularly life science—“is pretty high,” with companies easily spending $2 million to $3 million “before doing a single experiment.” Coworking spaces like BioLabs “help de-risk the science,” she says, and lab coworking space is “ideal for advancing breakthroughs.” By locating at BioLabs, companies can put their investment dollars toward science and talent rather than space and equipment, Everett says, lowering the barriers to entry. “BioLabs also provides startups with a supportive network of fellow entrepreneurs and industry connections to get them on the right path sooner,” creating a “highway to get gamechanging treatments to trials quicker,” she says. That’s led to fast growth, meeting four-year projections just six months after launch. Lauding Texas’ collaborative spirit, she says BioLabs works closely with partners in the ecosystem—from corporate sponsors and universities to accelerators and venture firms. — D.S.
P H OTO S : M I R N A B A L O U L , B Y S H A N E K I S L A C K ; R I C H A R D M A R G O L A N , B Y M I C H A E L S A M P L E S ; OT H E R P H OTO S C O U R T E S Y O F T H E I N D I V I D U A L / C O M PA N I E S .
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