The innovation ecosystem of Northeast Ohio spans industry lines.
That — and the success of double-digit seeds — are among the takeaways from the voting that has set the field of semifinalists in our inaugural Inno Madness competition for Cleveland Inno.
For the past two weeks, readers have been asked to cast votes for companies in our bracket-style challenge based on one question: Who would you invest in?
Round 1 of voting saw the initial field of 16 cut to eight. A subsequent round of voting has now led to our semifinalists. Those four companies are SPR Therapeutics, which began the competition as the #1 seed, along with #13 seed Thrivable, #14 seed AgileBlue and #15 seed Cleveland Kitchen — all of which have advanced after back-to-back upsets in matchups with higher-seeded companies.
The four semifinalists also highlight the diversity of startup businesses and innovation across the Cleveland area. They represent work being done in the areas of medical technology, market research, manufacturing and cybersecurity.
Voting is now open for our semifinal matchups. You can cast your votes through Sunday, March 20.
Learn more about the four companies competing in semifinals below, and read the contest rules here.
You also can learn more about all 16 companies in the competition through our Inno Madness introductory story, as we look to shine a spotlight on businesses in the Cleveland area that are driving innovation locally.
And with that, let the semifinals voting begin.
Semifinal #1
- #1 SPR Therapeutics Inc.: SPR Therapeutics is a medical-device company that works to provide patients with pain relief without opioids or surgery, featuring its Sprint PNS System. The company in October closed a $37 million funding round.
- #13 Thrivable: Thrivable is a market-research company that aims to help health-care companies more quickly complete surveys, polls, interviews and usability studies. The company last year secured $1.7 million in funding.
Semifinal #2
- #15 Cleveland Kitchen: Cleveland Kitchen is a manufacturer of fermented foods such a sauerkraut, pickles, kimchi and salad dressings. The company late last year won a contract to distribute two new products exclusively to Sprouts Farmers Markets in 23 states.
- #14 AgileBlue: AgileBlue is a cybersecurity company that works to help businesses protect their data from ransomware, phishing and other cyber threats that hit around the world every day. The company late last year raised $2.25 million in preferred equity from a group of experienced technology and private-equity investors.
