Voting for the first round of KY Inno Madness has officially ended. But for the first time, there's a tie.
No. 2 seed Armadillo Home Solutions and No. 7 seed Black Box Energy Systems each got 50% of the vote. In total, there were more than 480 votes cast in the first round of our annual bracket-style competition.
Armadillo Home Solutions, based in Clarksville, Indiana, is a tech-enabled provider of home warranty products. The company launched its first self-service product in November. Along the way, it has been able to sign contracts with some of the world’s top retail and consumer product goods brands.
Owingsville, Kentucky-based Black Box Energy Systems is developing NEMo (Nautical Electric Motor), which is described as being a more efficient motor for an underwater training target. The company’s patented motor technology has proven to be more efficient across a wider range of power levels than traditional motors. In addition, it is smaller, lighter and uses up to 80% less copper to create the same level of power.
Click here to cast a tie-breaking vote between the two startups. Voting will end at 11:59 p.m. (EST) Wednesday, March 6.
You can check out all of the first round matchups here, or in the bracket illustration below. We'll launch second-round voting tomorrow, Thursday, March 7.
As we've previously stated, the goal of Inno Madness is to simply give a glimpse of some of the most-promising tech companies in our region. It is by no means a complete list of our best startups, which is a testament to the growing size of the area's tech scene. It’s also not a list of the most-funded startups.
Instead, the bracket is meant to represent the full breadth and diversity of the ecosystem. In the end, think of the bracket as just a fun look into local companies you need to know in 2024.
