2023 Winners

Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship Ranks Dallas 100™ Top Entrepreneurial Companies

Dallas (SMU) Nov. 2, 2023 – StaffDNA, a company specializing in healthcare industry job search technology, ranks as the fastest-growing privately held Dallas-area company. The SMU Cox School of Business Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship presented the Plano-based company with the top award at the Dallas 100™ Entrepreneur Awards Gala Thursday at the Dallas Hyatt Regency. The area’s top entrepreneurial companies—based on growth over three years—were revealed from 100 to one at the annual awards event. 

StaffDNA is one of 16 healthcare industry companies that are among the 2023 ranking of the area’s 100 fastest-growing privately held companies. Four of this year’s top 10 winners are in the healthcare staffing field. StaffDNA’s job search technology serves a range of professions and settings from RNs to certified nursing assistants, as well as hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and home health settings.  

“Due to a number of factors, including medical advancements and an aging population, the healthcare industry is surging across the country,” said Simon Mak, the executive director of the SMU Cox Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship. “Our ranking of this year’s fastest-growing privately held companies shows that the Dallas area reflects that growth. In fact, this is the second consecutive year that our No. 1 company, StaffDNA, is a healthcare staffing company. Last year’s top winner, Shiftkey, was a healthcare facilities finder. It’s clear that healthcare is a critical and growing part of the Dallas-area economy.”

To qualify for the Dallas 100 competition, companies must have revenue earnings of $500,000 to $100 million dollars. Collectively, the 2023 Dallas 100-ranked companies generated more than $11 billion from 2020 to 2022, the last year for which complete financial records are available. Over that same time, all 100 companies created nearly 14,000 jobs and grew average sales by 146%. In 2022 alone, all 100 companies together generated sales of over $5.5 billion. 

“This group of winners was chosen based on company statistics they submitted for the three years that the COVID pandemic was at its peak,” Mak said. “They deserve recognition not only for their contributions to the area economy but also for their innovative spirit and resilience.”

The Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship ranks the area’s top 100 entrepreneurial companies based on percentage growth and absolute dollar growth over the previous three years, emphasizing their contributions to the Dallas area economy. The winners represent a broad spectrum of businesses from Dallas and 16 surrounding cities.

The Caruth Institute, working with the accounting firm FORVIS, LLP examined 2020 to 2022 sales information submitted by hundreds of companies. This year’s presenting company was Texas Capital Bank. In addition to FORVIS, LLP, the 2023 program event sponsors—in alphabetical order—were ActOne Group; Executive Press; MarketScale; and USI Insurance Services. Media sponsors were Dallas Business Journal and KRLD NewsRadio 1080.

The top 10 fastest-growing DFW companies in 2023 received special recognition at the event. Listed in rank order, these companies are 1) StaffDNA, Plano; 2) Advantis Medical, Dallas; 3) Aligned, Plano; 4) Big Town Concrete LLC, Irving; 5) LiquidAgents Healthcare, Plano; 6) Front Burner Society, Dallas; 7) Ironside Human Resources, Dallas; 8) o9 Solutions, Dallas; 9) Focus Staff, Dallas; and 10) Paynetworx LLC, Van Alstyne. 

A complete, ranked list of all 2023 SMU Cox Dallas 100 companies, listed from No. 1 to No. 100, follows: