Last week, we kicked off Inno Madness 2024 with 64 companies from across Chicago’s tech scene. Your votes helped us narrow down that list of companies to 32.
We had some newer Chicago startups take down more established companies in each region to kick off this year's race to the top.
Nature's Fynd was the only No. 1 seed to escape the first round, with No. 16 seeds Cue the Curves, a former winner of a Northwestern student startup competition, along with TegoTech and Zuri Fertility all advancing. The largest margin of victory came in Region D with Echo Labs, a Chicago startup that landed a historic pre-seed round earlier this year, securing over 68% of the vote to advance to the second round.
Some matchups were tight until the last hours of voting. Relativity came out ahead of Ovie Smarterware by single-digit votes, as did Hubly Surgical over Hallow. We had a number of other close calls, like in Region C, where Vivante Health, a health startup that landed $31 million in funding last year, narrowly made it through with 51% of votes.
When can I vote?
Voting is underway for the second stage of the competition.
Inno Madness will take place over a series of stages spanning the next several weeks as the competition gets narrowed down. We'll keep you posted on who's advancing, and who's not, right here at Chicago Inno and in the Beat newsletter. Subscribe here if you're not already on the list.
Voting will close at midnight on the final day of each round to give us time to tally the votes before the next one begins.
Below is the full list of companies in this year's competition, and the link to vote. At 64 companies, this is by no means a complete list of Chicago’s best startups, a list that continues to grow every day.
Cast your vote for the next 16 companies to advance: VOTE HERE.
For those just joining us now or in need of a reminder, here is an Inno Madness 2024 breakdown:
What is Inno Madness?
Inno Madness is our friendly, bracket-style challenge where readers vote to advance companies based on one question: Which would you invest in?
Whether you believe in one mission or product over the other, or would prefer to back a more established company versus an early-stage startup, how you answer that question is entirely your decision. The bracket is designed to spotlight a slice of the Chicago innovation community.
Here are the companies still in the competition:
Nature's Fynd: A startup that’s created a new method for producing meatless and dairy-free foods.
Puttshack: A tech-infused mini golf concept from the founders of Topgolf.
Kin Insurance: Founded in 2016, Kin Insurance is a direct-to-consumer home-insurance business that wants to make getting homeowners insurance easier by eliminating the need for external agents.
Relativity: A maker of e-discovery software for lawyers.
The Mom Project: A startup that helps companies hire female candidates.
Farmer's Fridge: A maker of healthy vending machines.
Vivante Health: A health startup improving care for individuals who suffer from chronic digestive conditions.
Mozaic: Founded by Marcus Cobb, a transparent and simple way for creative professionals to get paid.
CoPilot: A mobile app that uses machine learning to help buyers find the best price for their next car.
Crafty: A startup that delivers beer, snacks, cold brew and other items to offices.
Gearflow: A construction tech startup that connects construction equipment owners with part suppliers.
Black Buffalo: A smokeless tobacco alternative that has the same look, feel, smell and experience as traditional dipping product.
Amper Technologies: A startup that helps factories improve machine and labor productivity by monitoring machine metrics in real time.
Aqua Cultured Foods: A startup that's making alternative seafood made from fermentation.
Echo Labs: An AI platform capable of human-level transcription.
Ayo Western African Foods: A meal solutions brand delivering authentic West African-inspired cuisine.
Pilot Project Brewing: Founded in Chicago in 2019, a launchpad for startup breweries.
Mycocycle: A cleantech startup that uses mushrooms to remove toxins from waste.
Hubly Surgical: An intracranial drill with smart technology.
Science on Call: A platform that provides 24/7 on-demand tech support to restaurants.
Partum Health: A health startup offering birth and postpartum doula care, mental health support and more.
Nutrad: Supply chain software company launched to replace tedious and error-prone manual tasks.
Grapefruit Health: Founded by Eric Alvarez, a health care workplace tech platform that trains clinical students to work with patients remotely.
Fyllo: A marketing and compliance startup for the cannabis industry.
Earnest Agriculture: A startup that partners with farmers to turn their waste into sustainable soil products.
Out of Office: A travel app that helps users plan trips based on recommendations from friends.
Blip Energy: A smart battery device that wants to make power more affordable.
Mella Pet Care: A pet care startup offering a thermometer that takes a pet's temperature under the hind leg of a cat or dog.
Bracketology: A fantasy gaming platform for reality TV.
Cue the Curves: A personal plus-size shopping assistant and community.
TegoTech: A hard-tech startup making safer wall outlets.
Zuri Fertility: A patient-centered digital fertility clinic.
