The Inno Madness finals are set: Doorage vs. Every Body Eat.
The semifinals featured a tight matchup between healthy snack startup Every Body Eat and cybersecurity company Oak9, with Every Body Eat winning by just 25 votes. Doorage, a storage and moving startup, outlasted health-tech startup Synapticure with 59% of the vote.
The finals feature Doorage, a 16 seed, vs. Every Body Eat, a 13 seed — a fitting battle given how underdogs have prevailed through much of this year's bracket challenge.
Voting in the final round of Inno Madness continues now through Monday at midnight. We'll reveal the winner the following day.
The champion will join previous winners Choobs (2021), Leaf Trade (2020), 2ndKitchen (2019), SpringCM (2018), GetSet (2017), SpotHero (2016) and Kapow Events (2015).
To read more on these startups and the rest of the field, scroll down. You can also find a recap of last two rounds below the voting widget.
Inno Madness is our friendly, bracket-style challenge where 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 64 innovative, fast-growing local businesses.
The bracket is assembled based on reader nominations, as well as editorial input from the Chicago Inno team. Seeding was determined based on total venture funding raised. Meet the participants below and read the content rules here.
Semifinals update:
It's the semifinals in Inno Madness, and we've got three 13s and a 16-seed battling it out for a spot in the championship.
Doorage, a storage, moving and junk removal startup, will face Synapticure, a Google-backed startup that brings tech tools and other resources to people battling ALS. On the other side of the bracket, Every Body Eat, a healthy snacking company, takes on Oak9, a cybersecurity startup.
Round 4 update:
We are down to eight startups remaining in our Inno Madness challenge, and each is a 13 seed or higher.
The underdogs have continued to dominate Inno Madness, and voting has been as close as ever. Franshares, a startup that lets you invest in franchises, beat Chicago software firm Jellyvision by only two votes, 892-890. Synapticure, a startup backed by Google that's helping people who are battling ALS, outlasted health-tech startup Nutrisense by just 24 votes. And EarlyBird, a platform that lets families create investment accounts for their children, beat alternative protein startup Aqua Cultured Foods by 20 votes.
Round 4 features a food startup battle between Every Body Eat and Cumin Club, a storage vs. fintech matchup with Doorage and EarlyBird, a health care vs. restaurant tech in Synapticure vs. Science on Call, and cybersecurity vs. investing in Oak9 and Franshares.
Meet the Players
Tempus: Led by Groupon founder Eric Lefkofsky, Tempus uses machine learning and genomic sequencing to better understand cancer tumors, and it provides physicians with data to personalize patient treatment.
Uptake: A startup specializing in predictive analytics for industrial sectors.
Project44: A startup that provides software to shippers and third-party logistics firms to help them track their shipments and communicate with the supply chain in real time.
Nature's Fynd: A startup that’s created a new method for producing meatless and dairy-free foods.
Amount: A startup that creates tech-powered lending products for banks.
Relativity: A maker of e-discovery software for lawyers.
ShipBob: A logistics startup that helps small- and medium-sized e-commerce companies ship products.
ActiveCampaign: A marketing tech company that lets companies send and design email newsletters, automate marketing channels and get sales leads.
Clearcover: An online car insurance startup.
SpotHero: An app for finding and booking parking.
FourKites: A startup that makes software to help companies predict when shipments will arrive at scheduled stops.
G2: A B2B software review platform and marketplace.
Raise: A gift card marketplace.
Cooler Screens: A startup making digital screens for retailers' refrigerated cooling doors.
M1 Finance: A no-fee investing app that offers users an automated brokerage, portfolio lines of credit and digital banking.
Kin Insurance: A home insurance startup.
Cameo: A celebrity-shoutout app and marketplace for connecting fans and celebs.
Chowbus: A food delivery startup specializing in Asian cuisine.
Ocient: A startup led by Chris Gladwin that helps large companies analyze massive amounts of data.
Tovala: A smart oven and meal delivery service
Foxtrot: A food delivery startup and convenience store that's reimagining the corner store.
Keeper Security: A cybersecurity firm that makes password management software for people and businesses.
Basis Technologies: An adtech firm that helps clients organize and automate their digital media campaigns.
Zero Hash: A startup that helps institutional trading firms offer cryptocurrency trading to their clients.
PerkSpot: A startup that makes an HR tech platform.
LogicGate: A startup that helps companies automate risk and compliance programs.
Farmer's Fridge: A maker of healthy vending machines.
Catalytic: A startup that creates no-code software that helps companies automate business processes.
Catch Co.: A startup that sells lures and other fishing equipment.
The Mom Project: A startup that helps companies hire female candidates.
Provi: A startup that helps restaurants and bars order alcohol more efficiently.
ThreeKit: A startup that helps companies create 3D product configurations that let customers better visualize items while online shopping.
Jellyvision: An employee communication firm that helps workers understand complex concepts like signing up for health care coverage.
Fyllo: A marketing and compliance startup for the cannabis industry.
Hazel Technologies: A startup that creates packaging inserts that release anti-fungal vapor that can extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables.
NOCD: A telehealth app that provides one-on-one virtual therapy sessions between OCD patients and licensed therapists.
Bartesian: A Keurig-like machine for cocktail making.
Hologram: A startup creating a cellular platform for IoT.
Rheaply: A startup that specializes in recycling and sourcing unused items.
Halo Investing: An investing platform that allows financial advisors to add structured notes, annuities and buffered ETFs to their client portfolios.
Klover: A fintech startup that offers quick access to cash without charging users interest. Instead, the startup asks for access to your bank transactions and serves you ads from brands based on how you spend.
Civis Analytics: a software platform for data scientists that helps them make data-driven decisions.
Cohesion: A startup for building managers that bundles operating tasks into one platform, allowing managers to distribute mobile keycards to tenants, facilitate waiver signings, and give tenants an easy way to book building amenities and make maintenance requests.
Stacked: A crypto investment platform that creates automated investing tools for passive investors, serving as a robo-adviser for crypto and digital assets.
Journera: A software startup that allows travel companies to communicate with each other and provide a more seamless end-to-end travel experience for their customers.
New Era ADR: A software startup that allows arbitrations and mediations to take place completely virtually.
Alkeme: A platform that connects users with professionals in psychology, mindfulness and wellness, focusing specifically on the Black community.
Cyber Pop-up: A startup that connects small- and medium-sized businesses with cybersecurity experts on demand.
Every Body Eat: A snack startup that's free from the 14 most common allergens, as well as corn and sugar.
Synapticure: A tech platform to provide telemedicine and personalized care for people battling ALS.
Oak9: A cybersecurity startup that integrates into a firm's development pipeline and continuously scans new code for vulnerabilities, sends alerts when there's a problem, and can automatically remediate the code.
Aclaimant: A platform for employers to report workplace injuries.
EarlyBird: A startup that lets families set up investment accounts for their children, including crypto investments.
AptAmigo: A tool to search for local apartment buildings based on reviews from current and former tenants.
Sifter: A grocery shopping platform that lets you search for products based on your diet and medical needs.
Franshares: A startup that gives anyone the chance to invest in franchises like restaurant chains and barber shops.
Aqua Cultured Foods: A startup that's making alternative seafood made from mushrooms.
Cumin Club: A meal delivery startup that brings authentic Indian cuisines straight to your door.
Science on Call: A platform that provides 24/7 on-demand tech support to restaurants.
Aloa: A platform for outsourcing software development for startups.
Doorage: A storage and moving startup.
Carrectly: A car wash and auto repair startup.
NutriSense: A platform focused on improving metabolic health
StoryBolt: A startup that connects companies with documentary films, along with Q&As with the filmmaker, to educate employees around topics like implicit bias, racial injustice and other topics.
