Semifinals Update: After clawing their way past higher-seeded startups, two companies have emerged on top and are now going head-to-head for the Tech Madness champion title.
Continuing its hot streak all the way into the finals, MultiPark Valet, a valet management platform led by Marcus Wells, took out Pressed Roots, a boutique salon concept that has also been taking out more well-funded and established competitors, with more than 92 percent of the votes.
In the other semifinals matchup, Glass-Media, a maker of interactive digital displays, took the win in another blowout matchup against robotic quarterback company Monarc with nearly 74 percent of the votes.
The finals are set to be an exciting matchup. Sixteen-seed MultiPark kicked off the bracket challenge by taking out Bestow, despite the insurance startup having tens of millions of dollars in backing, as well as a national presence. It continued that in the following rounds, winning out against PureAcre, Zabo and Mercado. Glass-Media hasn’t seen wins by as large of margins. However, it has steadily been taking out competitors like Invene, Gozova and Solo Stove with a solid majority of the votes.
Voting for the final round of Tech Madness has a shorter window. Voting is now open and closes right before midnight on April 1. Remember, all votes are made by one determining question: who would you invest in? Scroll down to cast your votes for the Tech Madness finals.
Round 4 Update: And then there were four. This year’s Tech Madness bracket is heading into the semifinals.
In another upset last round, 16-seed valet management startup MultiPark Valet dominated over a 3-seed supply chain startup, Mercado, taking over 99 percent of the votes in that matchup. It continues MultiPark's challenge-long streak of taking out more well-established, well-funded companies.
Not all the matchups last round were won by that wide of a margin. Fresh off a strategic growth round, Dallas digital display company took out Southlake’s Solo Stove by a little more than 10 votes, despite Solo Stove gaining some popularity during the pandemic.
Also, last round, recently launched sports drink brand Electra Beverages finally met its match. After taking out Mark Cuban-backed Shiftsmart last round, Electra’s hot streak was stopped by blowout salon brand Pressed Roots, which has beaten out many higher-seeded companies in the past rounds.
Round 4 also saw the end of FieldMed’s run. The McKinney-based health software startup lost out to Dallas robotic quarterback maker Monarc, which took 66 percent of the votes.
The competition narrows and heats up as we head into the semi-finals. This round, two of the ones to beat in previous rounds – MultiPark Valet and Pressed Roots – go head-to-head. Both companies have been taking out higher-seeded companies in other rounds. Also, Glass-Media is taking on Monarc. Both of those companies haven’t really seen blowouts or nail-biters in past rounds but have been solidly taking the W with an average of around 55 percent of the votes in their respective matchups.
Voting for the semi-finals is now open, closing on March 29. Scroll down to check out the rest of the Tech Madness schedule and get your votes in for Round 5.
Round 3 Update: Tech Madness is entering the second half of its bracket challenge. And with thousands of more votes in Round 3, the competition is only getting more intense.
Again this round, MultiPark Valet, a platform that connects drivers to parking facilities, was the top vote getter. Continuing its streak of beating more established and well-funded companies, the 16-seed MultiPark took over 97 percent of the votes in its matchup against cryptocurrency platform Zabo, which raised $2.5 million last year in a round led by Moonshots Capital. Fellow competitor PlantTAGG, however, ended its run in besting higher-ranked teams. After coming out on top in Rounds 1 and 2, the company lost out to supply chain startup Mercado, by only six votes. Interestingly, Mercado also raised a $2.5 million round last year.
Another matchup we had our eyes on ended in a blowout. Despite backing from Google for Startups Black Founders Fund and investors that include Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund and ArlanWasHere Investments, ShearShare lost its matchup against salon concept Pressed Roots, which took more than 70 percent of the votes.
Round 3 also saw some nail biters. In a matchup that put two startups that saw growth during the pandemic – Solo Stove and Neuro Rehab VR – the outdoor gear startup took the W.
Now with eight teams left, each matchup is one to watch. However, it’s likely all eyes will continue to be on MultiPark Valet to see if it can continue its hot streak as it goes head-to-head against Mercado, the one that took out PlantTAGG, which was on a similar streak. Another one to pay attention to is Electra Beverages, whose founder Fran Harris burst on the scene with a “Shark Tank” appearance, in which she told the audience that she was “coming for that ass.” So far, she has appeared to have done that, taking out Zirtue, ContraForce and Shiftsmart along the way. In Round 4, Electra is taking on Pressed Roots, which has also made its fair share of upsets throughout the challenge.
As a reminder, Round 4 closes on March 25. Scroll down to check out the full Tech Madness schedule and get your votes in for Round 4.
Round 2 Update: The Tech Madness bracket is heating up, gathering thousands of more votes as potential champions emerge in the second round of NTX Inno’s ecosystem-boosting competition.
Coming out as the one to watch moving forward is recently-launched valet management software startup MultiPark Valet. The company, led by Marcus Wells, was the top vote-getter in the round, taking in nearly 92 percent of the votes in a head-to-head matchup against Argyle-based agriculture innovation firm PureAcre.
Also causing an upset was the gardening app PlantTAGG. The 15-seed company took on personal grocery platform Cooklist. And despite Cooklist having backers like RevTech Ventures and Matchstick Ventures, PlantTAGG garnered nearly 70 percent of the votes, coming out with a W in that matchup.
Several other matchups saw companies take the win by large margins. Going up against Fort Worth’s electric motor systems company Linear Labs, Southlake-based Solo Stove came out on top with about 68 percent of the votes. Similarly, Neuro Rehab VR and TUBBR each gathered close to 65 percent of the votes in their matchups against Work Shield and Glaucomedi, respectively.
The round also saw its fair share of close calls. FieldMed came out on top over CourMed by only three votes in a matchup that pitted two telehealth-focused startups together. Three votes also determined the matchup between gig work platform for off-duty police RollKall and adaptive learning software startup Trivie, with Trivie taking the win. And in a matchup decided by only two votes, supply chain management startup Mercado came out on top over Dallas-based personalized job board startup Knack.io.
As we head into Round 3, all eyes will likely be on MultiPark Valet as it goes up against fintech startup Zabo. They will also likely be on PlantTAGG as it takes on Mercado. Another interesting matchup to watch is one with two hair-focused companies. McKinney’s ShearShare, which helps stylists rent booths in salons and barbershops, is going up against Pressed Roots, which operates its own salon concept in the Trinity Groves neighborhood Dallas.
Scroll down to get a refresh on the voting schedule and to cast your votes for Round 3.
Round 1 Update: With more than 1,200 votes cast, winners have begun to emerge from the first round of NTX Inno’s Tech Madness challenge.
One of the most surprising matchups of the round put recently-launched valet management software startup MultiPark Valet head-to-head against the incredibly well-funded ($145 million in total) life insurance startup Bestow. And despite the traction Bestow has been seeing with clients, MultiPark came out with the win, taking over 90 percent of the votes.
That W seemed to be part of a trend in the first round, with several more early-stage companies beating out more established and more funded companies. Some of those matchups included PlantTAGG taking on Fort Worth’s Simpli.fi, wedding planning platform The Desi Bride going up against Dallas unicorn o9 Solutions, and salon concept Pressed Roots beating aerospace- and defense-focused venture development firm Catalyze Dallas.
Another interesting matchup in Round 1 was two fintech companies focused on stock trading – BlackBoxStocks and AlgoPear – going head-to-head. And despite being in the industry longer, BlackBoxStocks took the L.
While there were some blowouts, there were also a few close calls. Off-duty law enforcement management solution startup RollKall beat out Fort Worth motions and control company MμZ Motion by a single vote. Similarly, mobile game developer PeopleFun won out against Shiftsmart, a Dallas-based part-time open shift connection platform, by just two votes.
As we head into Round 2, there are a few interesting matchups to keep your eye on. For one, Fort Worth’s Linear Labs, which is making moves with plans to create thousands of jobs in the region potentially, is going up against Solo Stove, which has seen its inventory sell out due to rapid demand during the pandemic. Also, two startups working in the health care industry that has gained more traction during the pandemic – CourMed and FieldMed – are going head-to-head.
Check out the bracket and start voting in Round 2 below.
Drumroll, please. Back to drive awareness and excitement to the region’s startup scene is NTX Inno’s Tech Madness bracket challenge, a reader-driver competition highlighting some of the ecosystem’s most exciting companies.
Over the next few weeks, 64 DFW startups and tech companies will go head-to-head, with the judges (Inno readers) voting to determine who moves on to the next round.
The bracket was made up of nominations sent in over the past few weeks and assembled by the NTX Inno team-based (for the most part) on funding amount and company size, as well as other metrics for bootstrapped companies. An important note: Seeding isn’t an editorial judgment. We rely on funding because, well, that’s the most accessible and universal metric out there.
To determine each matchup's winner, there is only one important question to ask yourself: Who would you invest in?
Now, that can be interpreted in several ways. Maybe that’s the startup that has the potential to deliver the highest returns. Maybe it’s the startup you feel is the safest bet. Or maybe it’s simply because that company has a mission or drive that fires you up? Either way, the decision is up to you.
It’s also important to keep in mind that while Tech Madness is a friendly competition, one company must move on at the end of the day. However, overall, the bracket highlights some of the local scene players and drives attention and excitement to the overall ecosystem.
The first round of voting is now open and will close on March 14. Rounds will continue weekly after that until a champion is crowned on April 2. You can check out a full schedule below.
Round 1 voting: March 9 – March 14.
Round 2 voting: March 15 – March 18.
Round 3 voting: March 19 – March 22.
Round 4 voting: March 23 – March 25.
Round 5 voting: March 26 – March 29.
Round 6 voting: March 30 – April 1.
Last year, during NTX Inno’s inaugural Tech Madness competition, Dallas-based women’s sexual wellness startup Rosy took the top spot, squeaking past app development company Hashing Systems by a 51-vote margin. Each round garnered thousands of votes.
Now, without further ado, check out NTX Inno’s 2021 Tech Madness bracket. After that, scroll down and click on the company logo that you would like to see move on to the next round. Good luck to all the companies and happy voting.
