The first-ever Columbus Inno Madness champion is Aware, a local startup whose software detects risk and assesses overall employee engagement through real-time analysis of workplace collaboration platforms including Slack, Microsoft Teams and Facebook Workplace.
That capability was in high demand during the rapid shift to work-from-home during the pandemic. And growth has continued; as of October, the company was on track to more than triple if not quadruple revenue over 2020.
Goldman Sachs Asset Management led a $60 million funding round for the company in the fall, and Aware recently added a new chief revenue officer to oversee its continuing growth.
The company bested Clarus R+D in the final round of voting for Inno Madness, a bracket-style challenge designed to raise awareness of some of the most exciting startups in the Central Ohio ecosystem. We started with 16 companies, gathered via nominations and editorial input, and asked readers to vote based on one question: Who would you invest in?
The goal of Inno Madness is to give a snapshot of some of the most-promising tech companies in Columbus. It is by no means a complete list of the region's best startups, which is a testament to the size of Central Ohio's tech scene. It's also not just a list of the 16 most-funded startups in the region.
Relive the full tournament in the bracket below, or revisit all the participating companies in the list below that:
Meet the Players (our winner is in bold):
Region A
1. AndHealth: The new healthcare startup from CoverMyMeds founder Matt Scantland. Read more in our recent cover story.
2. Beam Dental: A digital dental insurer rating risk by data on oral hygiene habits measured by a smart toothbrush. Read about its expected growth here.
3. Lower: A digital home lender, now best known for its name appearing atop the home of the Columbus Crew. Here's a recent story on the company's growth plans.
4. Forge Biologics: A biotech gene therapy and genetic material manufacturing startup based in Grove City. It plans to grow to hundreds of jobs in the suburb.
5. Path Robotics: A startup developing autonomous welders. The company had one of the region's largest funding rounds last year.
6. Aware: A startup whose software detects risk and assesses overall employee engagement through real-time analysis of workplace collaboration platforms. The company landed funding from Goldman Sachs last year.
7. Physna: A Columbus transplant billed as the Google of 3D. Google's venture arm invested in the startup last year.
8. Rhove: One of our 2022 Startups to Watch, which calls itself "Robinhood for real estate" by helping everyday investors buy a stake in commercial developments. Read more here.
Region B
1. Olive AI: A Columbus unicorn targeting wasteful healthcare spending through administrative automation that was valued at $4 billion in a 2021 VC round. Read more about its growth here.
2. Branch: Another digital insurer, for home and auto, and a Columbus transplant. Check out some of our recent coverage here.
3. PriorAuthNow: A Columbus software startup seeking to improve coverage and decision-making for medical procedures. Here's the latest on the company's growth plans.
4. Circulo: An AI-powered Medicaid managed care startup founded by Olive founder Sean Lane. The company recently got the OK to operate in Ohio.
5. Empora Title: A real estate title startup digitizing transactions for investment properties. The company was founded by a former employee of now publicly traded Root Insurance.
6. Finite State: A Columbus cybersecurity startup, founded by a Battelle veteran, focused on the internet of things. Read more about the company here.
7. Clarus R+D: A software company that aims to help companies claim tax credits on R&D expenses. The company talked to us about its growth late last year.
8. Fleri: Another one of our Startups to Watch and a social enterprise that helps immigrants direct remittances for loved ones back home, starting with healthcare. Take a deeper dive here.
Thanks to all of you who voted!
