Hartford Business Journal

10 Hartford Business Journal • September 17, 2018 • www.HartfordBusiness.com FOCUS: Technology Amid talent shortage, tech industry spotlights growing firms Q&A talks to Bruce Carlson, CEO of the Connecticut Technology Council, which recently un- veiled its 2018 Marcum Tech Top 40, an annual recognition of the fastest-grow- ing technology companies in Connecti- cut. Tech Top 40 companies are deter- mined by their revenue growth over the past four years across several industries including: advanced manufacturing; energy, environment, and green technol- ogy; IT services; life sciences; new media, internet and telecom; and software. Q. What are the most interesting storylines of this year's Marcum Tech Top 40 class? A. One of the most impressive aspects of the Marcum Tech Top 40 is that each year we not only have a number of repeat winners, but we always have first-time winners. To highlight the repeat winners, we created the Marcum Tech Top 40 Hall of Fame — celebrating companies that have won for at least five years. Going into our 11th year of the Tech Top 40, we have 28 companies that are in the Hall of Fame. To celebrate rising stars in the tech sector, we have the Accelerator des- ignation for companies that don't quite meet the requirements for company longevity but are worthy of recognition. The most exciting thing about 2018 is the expansion of the Tech Top 40 program into the ConnectiTECH Awards, which will highlight the most disruptive technol- ogy and the coolest tech workplace. Q. The Tech Council has now done the Tech Top 40 for just over a decade. What was the original reason for do- ing this? Has it achieved the goals you originally set out for it? A. Connecticut offers an environment that helps great technology companies grow, but we saw a need to highlight and elevate that environment and those companies. The Marcum Tech Top 40 showcases these companies on a year-in and year-out basis. When you think about the fact that we have 28 Tech Top Bruce Carlson CEO of the Connecticut Technology Council By Joe Cooper jcooper@HartfordBusiness.com A t least five Connecticut municipalities are vying to become testing hotbeds for driverless car technology. Windsor Locks and Stamford were the first to apply for Connecticut's recently launched Fully Autonomous Vehicle Testing Pilot Program, which will allow four cities and towns in the state to partner with manufacturers and f leet service providers to test driverless cars on public roadways. At least three other municipali- ties — Manchester, New Haven and Bridgeport — said they plan to apply for a spot in the program and are cur- rently soliciting manufacturing part- ners before submitting applications. Connecticut's driverless technol- ogy ambitions aim to keep pace with Massachusetts, Michigan, California, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and more than 20 other states that have green- lighted legislation related to testing autonomous vehicles. Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has said the program shows automakers Connecti- cut's desire to lead early stage devel- opment of driverless cars, potentially providing new economic development opportunities down the road. Local officials contending to test the technology say driverless cars offer many benefits: Improved traffic flow, less traffic collisions, lower fuel consumption, reduced crime, less need for insurance and increased urban development. The Office of Policy and Manage- ment (OPM), which administers the state's pilot program with assistance from the Department of Motor Ve- hicles, Department of Transportation, Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, and Connecti- cut Insurance Department, will select for the program at least one city or town with a population of 120,000 to 124,000 people and one with a popula- tion of at least 100,000 residents. C. Zack Hyde, a senior transporta- tion policy advisor for OPM, said the program's overseers will meet this month to evaluate the applications submitted by Windsor Locks and Stamford. With rolling applications, there is no deadline for municipalities to submit bids or for OPM to make a decision. "We are hoping to get the best ap- plications possible because we want to show the autonomous industry that we are open for business," Hyde said. Tech driven Connecticut has established some rules and regulations for its driverless vehicle program. For example, an operator must be on board any driverless vehicle tested in the state. But operators won't be doing much during trials, said Pierre Bourgin, a general manager for Navya, a French startup that designs autonomous shuttle buses, which has discussed a partnership with Windsor Locks. Bourgin, who oversees Navya's operations in North America, said his company's 15-passenger shuttles navi- gate roadways using redundant layers of technology relying on GPS, cam- eras, and odometry and lidar sensors. Testing Ground Cities, towns vie to test drive CT's autonomous vehicle program PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Navya, which has sold 90 of its 15-passenger driverless shuttle buses worldwide, has discussed a partnership with Windsor Locks. The town is eyeing an autonomous bus line between the Hartford rail line and Bradley Airport.

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