Our Albany Inno Madness competition is here. And we've got 16 local startups vying for the coveted title of 2022 Inno Madness champion.
Inno Madness is a friendly, bracket-style challenge in which readers vote to advance companies based on one question: Who would you invest in?
Whether you believe in one mission or product slightly over the other or would prefer to back a more established company versus an early-stage startup, how you answer that question is entirely up to you. The bracket is designed to shine a spotlight on 16 innovative, fast-growing local businesses.
The bracket is assembled based on reader nominations, as well as editorial input from the Albany Inno team. Seeding was determined in an order based roughly on the amount of funding each startup has raised. Meet the participants below and read the contest rules here.
The goal of Inno Madness is to give a snapshot of some of the most-promising tech companies in the Capital Region. It is by no means a complete list of the Albany region's best startups. It's also not just a list of the 16 most-funded startups in the region.
Instead, the bracket is meant to represent the breadth and diversity of the ecosystem. In the end, think of the bracket as just a fun look into tech local companies you need to know in 2022. Check out our list of Albany region startups to watch this year.
First-round voting begins now and continues through March 9 at noon. Readers can cast one vote per round. We'll open up voting round by round, ultimately crowning an Inno Madness winner on March 31.
A short description of each company is below. Here's the bracket:
Click here to make your picks now!
Meet the Players:
Ecovative uses mycelium to develop sustainable replacements for products including meat and leather.
Velan Studios is a video game developer that has released two titles so far: Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit for Nintendo, and Knockout City for EA Games.
MyForest Foods Co., a spinoff of Ecovative Design, makes a bacon substitute from mycelium.
Aptihealth is a behavioral health telemedicine platform that connects patients to psychotherapists.
Inspect Point has created a software platform to help fire protection companies more easily manage building inspections.
Levrx has developed a digital platform that shows which medications are covered under a patient’s health plan and which pharmacy sells them for the lowest cost.
Nuvalence focuses on professional services in the cloud computing industry and plans to expand into three new offices and two new cities.
UCM Digital Health is a medical triage telemedicine platform meant to keep patients from visiting the ER when it's not necessary.
Vyv makes an LED light whose very specific wavelength on non-UV light can kill microbes on surfaces.
Network Next integrates its software into video games to improve connectivity and reduce lags.
Golde makes superfood powders and beauty products that are sold at retailers including Target.
Vara Safety makes a mounted gun holster that unlocks with a fingerprint.
United Aircraft Technologies is developing a sensor device that can hold vehicular wires in place without the use of tools.
Dang! is an indie video game studio that recently released its first game, Boomerang X, available on the Nintendo Switch.
Catapult Games is a studio currently developing a game for police training.
Ventur is developing a platform to more easily connect home buyers and sellers with residential real estate agent without going through a middleman.
Read contest rules here
