Today — Wednesday, March 29 — marks the launch of Pacific Business News’ second annual Inno Madness challenge, and this year, there are eight companies vying for the No. 1 spot.
Inno Madness is a bracket-style competition among businesses in the tech and innovation space. The businesses here span sectors including agriculture, AI, travel and more. Readers will vote to advance companies based on this question: Which would you invest in? How you answer that question is entirely up to you — you may consider a company’s mission, its product, its potential for growth, or maybe you just think they sound like the most exciting business.
The participating companies were assembled from reader nominations, as well as editorial input from the PBN staff. Seeding was determined randomly.
The goal of Inno Madness is to generate awareness for companies making waves in the Hawaii tech and innovation scene. Of course, it is by no means a complete list — it’s just a fun look into a handful of local companies to know in 2023.
Meet the participants:
Reeler - an app that connects small-scale fishers directly to consumers with the goal of supporting fishers and increasing customer access to fresh, local seafood
Ai.Fish - a software startup dedicated to creating a more sustainable world for marine life and fisheries using cutting-edge artificial intelligence and computer vision technology
Shaka Guide - a startup that creates self-guided audio tours that play stories automatically as visitors drive and is now expanding to all National Parks
Pawniolo Pets - an agricultural company that creates healthy, nutritional pet food and treats made from Hawaii-grown livestock
Farm Link Hawaii - an online marketplace providing Oahu-wide home delivery of fresh food sourced from local farmers, ranchers, and food makers
Hawaii Farm Trails - a multifaceted enterprise that includes retail operations, a carbon sequestration project, and a digital platform to connect people with agritourism operators
Hawaii Entertainment Media (H.E.M) - a multimedia, immersive virtual and mixed reality experiences company
Parklinq – a Hawaii-based parking company that specializes in “rates for residents,” offering locals preferential rates or complimentary parking through smartphone-based ID verification
First-round voting begins now and continues through 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 4. With eight companies participating, the first round consists of four matchups. Readers can cast one vote per round. We'll open up voting round by round, ultimately crowning an Inno Madness champion.
Read the contest rules here, and when you’re ready, vote on the Round 1 matchups by clicking the link below.
Don’t forget to check back next week for the results — and to vote for the next round!
