Introducing the Cincy Inno Madness Bracket

Our Cincy Inno Madness competition is here. And we've got 32 local startups vying for the coveted title of 2022 Inno Madness champion.

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 32 innovative, fast-growing local businesses.

The bracket is assembled based on reader nominations, as well as editorial input from the Cincy Inno team. Seeding was determined based on each companies' fundraising history, as well as big moves from 2021. Meet the participants below and read the content rules here.

The goal of Inno Madness is to give a snapshot of some of the most-promising tech companies in Cincinnati. It is by no means a complete list of Cincinnati's best startups, which is a testament to the size of the region's tech scene. It's also not just a list of the 32 most-funded startups in the region.

Instead, the bracket is meant to represent the full breadth and diversity of the ecosystem. In the end, think of the bracket as a fun look into tech local companies you need to know in 2022.

First-round voting begins today and continues through March 8. Readers can cast one vote per round. We'll open up voting round by round, ultimately crowning an INNO MADNESS winner on April 5.

Let's get into Round 1...

The Players

1. Hamilton-based vertical farming company 80 Acres is one of the region’s best-funded startups. All its produce, including tomatoes and leafy greens, is grown indoors without the use of pesticides.

2. Cerkl is a Blue Ash-based startup that provides a customized approach to employee and corporate communications. The company recently announced plans to quadruple its employees on the heels of a $7 million Series A raise.

3. Akru is a Cincinnati fintech you need to know. The firm is growing rapidly following the launch of its product, which aims to increase access to real estate investing, and a multimillion-dollar investment from key figures within the blockchain industry.

4. Amify, which operates an HQ2 at Longworth Hall, bills itself as a "Amazon-as-a-service" provider. The company helps brands market themselves and their products, provides warehousing, manages Amazon storefronts, oversees inventory and demand planning, as well as customer service and returns.

5. Pay Theory, an Evendale-based fintech, helps make payment more inclusive for families, especially those “un- or under-banked.” With its platform, families can pay for an online transaction in cash using a network of nearly 60,000 retailers.

6. Red Circle is a podcast platform for independent creators. Its technology offers distribution, cross-promotion, dynamic audio insertion, listener payments and automated advertising, allowing podcasters grow their network and monetize their work.

7. Founded by ex-P&Ger Jake Whitman, Really Good Boxed Wine is a direct-to-consumer wine brand based in Cincinnati.

8. Techstars-backed TinnCann lets users video chat 1-on-1 with a curated group of athletes and experts in fashion, photography, music and more.

1. Enable Injections is a big dog when it comes to raising funds. To kick of 2022, the Evandale-based medical device maker closed a $215 million Series C, breaking 80 Acres’ five-month-old record for the region’s highest fundraising round for a startup.

2. Electrada wants to dominate the electric vehicle charging market and in 2021 the downtown-based firm secured more than $10 million and further boosted its C-suite to help it do so.

3. Sense Neuro Diagnostics, last year’s Inno Madness winner, is developing devices to improve outcomes for stroke and brain injury patients.

4. Bexion Pharmaceuticals might be a familiar name to those following Cincinnati’s biotech space, but this year, the company welcomed a new face — CEO Richard “Scott” Shively, who took the reins in February. Bexion is one of several Northern Kentucky players pushing for state funds to create a new lab in Covington.

5. Hearty is a LinkedIn alternative that lets you build a professional network based on personal recommendations. It was founded in 2021 by three former Ahalogy execs, who exited their company for $50 million the year before.

6. Last Mile Food Rescue uses tech to rescue perishable food from donors like Castellini Company, Kroger and UDF to distribute to soup kitchens, homeless shelters, food pantries, senior service centers, daycares and schools.

7. Clean Earth Rovers, comprised entirely of University of Cincinnati and Xavier University alumni, is developing a high-tech machine to fight plastic and water pollution.

8. Re-assist, founded by mother-son duo Ashley Barrow and Aaron Bess, is a referral management app that aims to better help individuals navigate transitions of care.

1. Luma Financial’s fintech platform makes it easier for investment advisers to access and compare structured products and annuities. Luma has received initial investments from big industry names including Bank of America, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley.

2. Coterie, a Blue Ash-based insurtech, has developed a digital platform to deliver insurance solutions to small businesses, contractors and gig workers. Its agent portal allows for instant quoting and issuing of policies as well as a 100% digital underwriting process.

3. Blue Water Vaccines is a working to develop several vaccine candidates, including a single-dose vaccine that would provide lifelong protection against all flu strains. The CincyTech-backed startup recently completed an IPO in February.

4. Taiga Data’s software-as-a-service platform caters to the convenience store industry, providing independent c-store operators with the resources to compete with the larger, national brands.

5. Peerro is designed to help young workers land jobs, billing itself as a LinkedIn alternative. The company counts CincyTech among its backers, making it a must-watch startup.

6. Montgomery-based Neural Payments connects banks and credit unions to payment providers like PayPal or Venmo, cutting down an otherwise clunky user experience and bridging a gap between fintech and financial institutions.

7. Smoove Creations is a custom sneaker company founded by NKU graduate student, and self-proclaimed sneakerhead, Isaiah Kelly.

8. Get Together, a scheduling tool, integrates directly into any group text message, Slack channel or Discord server to scheduling everyone on the chat in seconds. The company’s app officially went live in the App Store and on Google Play in January.

1. Astronomer helps organizations adopt Apache Airflow, a leading open-source data workflow orchestration platform. It has heavy investor backing from Sierra Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, AngelPad, CincyTech, Refinery Ventures, Wireframe Ventures and Frontline Ventures.

2. Pieces, an Over-the-Rhine-based software startup, allows creators to save, reuse and share code snippets, links, text, screenshots, images, design layers and more.

3. Amplicore, a Mason-based early-stage biopharma startup, is developing a new pipeline of drugs to treat musculoskeletal disorders like osteoarthritis.

4. Kurome Therapeutics is a Hyde Park-based biotech startup developing novel therapies to help combat cancers like AML, or acute myeloid leukemia, a blood cancer that primarily affects adults 50 or older with a high mortality rate.

5. Another Techstars alum, Homebuyer is a mortgage lender targeting first-time homebuyers. The company uses tech to make the approval process fast and less expensive, while offering targeted information, newsletters and articles to help newbies navigate the buying process.

6. Vurvey is software company that empowers brands to create better products with their customers, with mobile-first video feedback, augmented reality, digital workrooms and QR codes that can capture authentic customer insights, run virtual focus groups and test product concepts. It currently counts Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Adidas, Timberland and Target as partners.

7. Tech startup Contact CI, based in Over-the-Rhine, is developing “haptic human-computer interaction,” focused on extending the hand's sense of touch into virtual reality.

8. Aclipse Campervans designs and rents custom-built camper vans to make camping easy for travelers.

We kicked off Inno Madness in 2018. Since then, four startups have gone on to win it all:

Read contest rules here.