The Memphis Inno Madness competition continues, as Round One of MBJ's inaugural startup challenge is complete. After a week of heated competition — two matchups were at times essentially tied — four companies are moving forward to Round Two.
The second-round group has a health care flair and two tech-focused firms, respectively in the finance and restaurant industries.
Continuing on to the next round — and vying for the title of 2022 Inno Madness champion title — are Hera Health Solutions, MiCare Path, Planet Wealth, and Bite Ninja.
Inno Madness is our friendly, bracket-style challenge where readers vote to advance companies based on one question: Who would you invest in?
Whether you believe in one mission or product slightly over the other or would prefer to back a more established company versus an early stage startup, how you answer that question is entirely up to you. The bracket is designed to shine a spotlight on eight innovative, fast-growing local businesses.
The bracket is assembled based on reader nominations, as well as editorial input from the Memphis Inno team. Seeding was determined by each startup's longevity, based on their founding date. Meet the participants below, and read the content rules here.
The goal of Inno Madness is to give a snapshot of some of the most promising tech-focused companies in Memphis. It is by no means a complete list of Memphis' best startups, which is a testament to the size of the local tech and innovation scene. It's also not just a list of the eight most funded startups in the region.
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 way to look into local startups you need to know in 2022.
Second-round voting is now underway and continues through noon on March 18. Readers can cast one vote per round. We'll open up voting round by round, ultimately crowning an Inno Madness winner on March 28.
On to Round Two …
Meet the players:
Region A
Planet Wealth — This startup’s digital platform looks to help people build wealth by providing them tools to raise funds and purchase valuable assets — such as rental properties, cars, collectible stamps, oil and gas rights, whiskey barrels. Read more about Planet Wealth here.
MiCare Path — The organization has a digital health platform designed to allow physicians and other care practitioners to have real-time feedback on a patient. Read more about MiCare Path here.
Region B
Hera Health Solutions — The pharmaceutical device startup is developing a biodegradable contraceptive implant, and its bioerodible drug delivery implants could have multiple applications. Read more about Hera Health Solutions here.
Bite Ninja — This firm provides remote labor for restaurants, with eateries using its platform to outsource drive-thru and counter shifts to a network of trained 1099 contractors, who take orders from their homes. Read more about Bite Ninja here.
Read contest rules here.
