CA Technology Innovation Award
This special award is generously sponsored by CA (formerly Computer Associates) to recognize up to three NFTE graduates who have incorporated an innovative use of technology into their businesses. Consideration for this award is given to NFTE students who have a revenue-generating business.

Matthew Ryan Elliot, 18
Terra-Byte Technologies
Baltimore, Maryland

"A new device is a new opportunity, and my company plans to take advantage of every opportunity it can."

Matthew Elliot’s business “uses technology for every aspect of the business, whether it is sales numbers, building and repairing computers, contacting future customers or keeping the company stable,” he says. Terra-Byte Technologies provides repair services to electronic devices such as computers and hand-held games. He also builds computers for parents not able to afford to purchase new computers for their college-bound children.

Matthew currently is participating in the NFTE program at Edmondson-Westside High School in Baltimore. He won second place in the NFTE Baltimore citywide business plan competition in 2006.

“We build all our products to the clients’ specifications, but we also try to go the extra mile to ‘future-proof’ their system,” Matthew says. This means he modifies the internal parts so that “if the client decides in the future that their computer isn’t giving them the performance they want, they can easily buy the new computer technology and swap it into their PC so they can keep up with the times.”

Matthew is a fan of new devices—“we take our PCs with us in our pockets,” he says, and sees new business opportunities as more innovative devices come out. After high school graduation he plans to attend the University of Baltimore.