Queen City? More like Upset City.
That's right, folks: Not one higher-seeded company from Cincy Inno Madness made it through to round two.
That means the highest-ranked companies we have going into this week's voting are No. 5 seeds, including Pay Theory, Hearty, Peerro and Homebuyer.
You can join the more than 1,530 people who voted last week and cast your ballot now for round two. And if you need a little refresher, check out the bios below.
The Players
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.
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 prior 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.
5. Peerro is designed to help young workers land jobs, billing itself as a LinkedIn alternative. The company counts CincyTech among its backers.
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.
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 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.
