Only four companies are left in this year's Chicago Inno Madness competition.
There were more than 1,000 votes cast in the last round of competition, a high for this year's bracket, so we appreciate your growing interest and engagement.
Nature's Fynd, the No. 1 seed in Region A of this year's bracket, moved on with nearly 60% of the vote in its Round 4 matchup against Mella Pet Care, a Chicago startup that recently made its way to ABC's "Shark Tank."
In the semifinals, Nature's Fynd will take on the No. 16 seed from Region C, TegoTech, a hard-tech startup led by Northwestern University grad Chirag Goel. TegoTech advanced in the closest match of Round 4, edging out Aqua Cultured Foods, the foodtech startup that raised $5.5 million in 2023.
Check out the bracket below to see which other companies made it to the next round. Voting for the semifinals will close on Sunday — so vote now.
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.
Pilot Project Brewing: Founded in Chicago in 2019, a launchpad for startup breweries.
TegoTech: A hard-tech startup making safer wall outlets.
Zuri Fertility: A patient-centered digital fertility clinic.
