American Inno's Startups to Watch

Innovation happens everywhere.

Cities like San Francisco, Boston and New York remain the heavyweights when it comes to startups and venture capital, but those markets are hardly the only places you can build a high-growth tech firm. Cities like Los Angeles, Austin, Seattle, Miami, Chicago and numerous others have proven their startup chops, establishing fertile startup ecosystems and the ability to catch the eye of big tech firms looking to expand.

As AOL co-founder Steve Case recently told American Inno in an interview, it's "not just one or two or three cities on the rise. It really is several dozen cities on the rise."

At American Inno, a startup and innovation-focused brand of American City Business Journals, reporters in more than 40 cities across the U.S. are covering the ins and outs of innovative upstarts in their markets, keeping tabs on funding rounds, new launches and other major moves from the business leaders of tomorrow.

For American Inno's inaugural national Startups to Watch list, we asked our reporters across the U.S. to identify companies you should know. There's no hard and fast definition of a "Startup to Watch." The list isn't about VC alone. Some companies have raised hundreds of millions in funding. Others are just getting started.

On our list, you'll find a Portland, Oregon, startup making organs for surgeons to practice surgery, an Atlanta startup helping creators earn money (with a boost from Snoop Dogg), a Sacramento robotics startup helping farmers pick fruit and an Albany startup making bacon out of mushrooms.

You'll meet the Baltimore feminine hygiene startup that raised funding from Beyoncé, the Seattle startup helping companies identify pay disparities backed by Stephen Curry, and the Miami startup co-led by Jake Paul that wants to change the sports-betting industry.

Dive into the full list below and reach out with candidates for our next Startups to Watch list.

Acclinate

Birmingham startup Acclinate wants to help health care organizations make their clinical trials more diverse. The startup's predictive analytics software works with pharmaceutical makers and other health care firms to present their clinical trials to likely participants and increase diverse enrollment, while also driving down recruitment costs. Acclinate is backed by investors like Google for Startups and gener8tor.

Related read: 15 Alabama startups to watch in 2022

Advanced Farm Technologies

Robotics startup Advanced Farm Technologies has created a machine that uses four onboard robots with custom cameras to find and pick ripe strawberries. The machine is capable of determining ripe from unripe, berry from leaves, and not ruining the fruit while picking it. The startup, which has more than $30 million in funding, is also developing apple-picking robots.

Betr

YouTube star-turned-professional boxer Jake Paul has partnered with sports betting entrepreneur Joey Levy to launch Miami startup Betr, a platform for sports "micro-betting." The startup focuses on wagering on specific moments of a sporting event, like whether a baseball team will score in a half-inning, rather than the game's end result. By prioritizing micro-betting, the company believes it can attract more people to sports betting and open up a new market. It raised a $50 million Series A this year from backers like musician Travis Scott and the co-owners of the San Francisco 49ers, Boston Celtics and Miami Marlins.

Related read: 22 Miami startups to watch in 2022

Built Technologies

Built Technologies creates cloud-based construction lending software. The fast-growing company hit a major milestone last year when it raised $125 million at a $1.5 billion valuation, making it a rare Nashville unicorn that doesn't operate in the health care sector. The firm simplifies the way borrowers and contractors access cash from lenders and manage loan disbursements. 

Related read: 10 Nashville startups to watch in 2022

Centivo

Buffalo startup Centivo has created a digital health plan aimed at self-funded employers. It wants to reimagine health care as a partnership between employers and medical providers, with the goal of driving down cost and improving care. With over $150 million in funding, the startup is backed by Morgan Health, a business unit under JPMorgan Chase, among others. 

Related read: 10 Buffalo startups to watch in 2022

CloudTrucks

CloudTrucks is working to make life easier for independent, long-haul truckers. Its software provides services for payments, load sourcing, scheduling and analytics, as well as a truck leasing program for independent truck drivers and fleets with fewer than 10 drivers. Backed by Tiger Global and Menlo Ventures, the startup raised $115 million at an $850 million valuation. 

Related read: 20 Bay Area startups to watch in 2022

Colossal Biosciences

Colossal Biosciences is working to make the stuff of science fiction become reality. The startup, using advanced genetic engineering, is working on the de-extinction of two animals: the woolly mammoth and the thylacine, otherwise known as the Tasmanian tiger. Using CRISPR genetic engineering technology, Colossal Biosciences believes it can bring back extinct species and help protect other critically endangered species. The startup has raised $75 million from backers like billionaire businessman Thomas Tull and In-Q-Tel, the CIA's investment arm.

ComboCurve

Houston startup ComboCurve is creating software for oil and gas companies. Its platform helps energy companies better manage asset production data, financial forecasting, data analysis and collaboration. Earlier this year, the startup raised a $50 million Series B round led by Dragoneer and Bessemer Venture Partners. 

Related read: 10 Houston startups to watch in 2022

Factorial

Boston battery startup Factorial is making better batteries for electric vehicles. Last year, it partnered with three of the top 10 automakers in the world — Hyundai, Stellantis and Mercedes-Benz — on its battery technology that can be used for a 20% to 50% longer range per charge than conventional lithium-ion batteries. Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis led a $200 million round in Factorial earlier this year. 

Related read: 22 Boston startups to watch in 2022

Fanbase

Atlanta startup Fanbase has built a social media platform that creators can use to monetize their content. Led by Isaac Hayes III, whose father was the late Isaac Hayes who wrote the hit song “Soul Man," the startup has been used by Snoop Dogg and other famous artists. Fans sign up and follow their favorite artists on the app, paying $5 a month to unlock content or paying for an individual post. The startup has raised more than $6 million in crowdfunding.

Related read: 22 Atlanta startups to watch in 2022

Felux

Felix has created a B2B marketplace and supply chain platform for steel and industrial materials. The startup is working to take a traditionally offline industry online with its platform that manages supply chains, purchasing, procurement, financing and logistics. Led by Dallas Hogensen, a serial founder and former vice president at Lyft, the startup raised a $19 million Series A round earlier this year.

Related read: 14 Cleveland startups to watch in 2022

Femly

Feminine hygiene product company Femly is working to increase access to organic pads and tampons through its free dispenser. The startup has landed partnerships with organizations like the Baltimore Ravens, where its products are available in M&T Bank stadium restrooms. And it's seen success marketing on TikTok and other platforms, where its videos have been viewed tens of millions of times. It was accepted last year to a Techstars accelerator, and is expected to generate $13 million in revenue this year. Other investors include musician Pharrell Williams and BeyGood, a fund backed by Beyoncé to support Black-owned businesses.

Related read: 5 Baltimore startups to watch in 2022

FreightVana

Phoenix startup FreightVana is a third-party logistics startup that works to connect shippers sending goods on trucks and carriers that operate the trucks. Founded by Shannon Breen and John Gamero, childhood friends who worked together at shipping giant Knight Transportation, the startup is working to bring more transparency and consistency to logistics. The company employs about 80 people and expects to reach a headcount of 150 by the end of next year.

Related read: 10 Arizona startups to watch in 2022

Huupe

Huppe wants to create the Peloton for basketball. The startup has built an AI-powered smart basketball hoop that's equipped with a high-definition, weatherproof screen as a backboard. The device lets users play games like Horse remotely, and monitors a user's shooting percentages. Huupe can also provide data on the arc of each shot and personalized training. Its investors include former NBA player Trevor Booker and NBA player Thaddeus Young.

Javara

Javana is working to boost the clinical research industry by partnering with health organizations and expanding patient access to clinical trials. It provides clinical research services to health care organizations, bringing clinical trial infrastructure to help more physicians and patients to participate in clinical research. It raised a $47 million Series B round earlier this year and expects to reach 400 employees in the next two years.

JobSage

Austin startup JobSage has created a workplace review website that aims to give job seekers more transparency about workplace culture based on questions that often matter most. It helps give prospective employees more information around things like salary, benefits and workplace inclusivity. JobSage asks employers to share surveys with their employees to generate candid feedback on the platform. 

Related read: 22 Austin startups to watch in 2022

JupiterOne

Cybersecurity startup JupiterOne raised $70 million this year at a $1 billion valuation. The company says it's trying to create new cybersecurity standards with its cyber-asset attack surface management platform, crunching data to provide visibility into a company’s “entire cyber-asset universe.” Now at more than 150 employees, the startup counts Reddit, Databricks and OhMD as customers.

Related read: 22 Triangle startups to watch

Lazarus 3D

Portland startup Lazarus 3D makes realistic-looking organs that allow surgeons to practice a surgery. Last year, the startup received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration for a pre-operative surgical platform, called Pre-Sure, in which the company creates personalized organs from imaging scans that surgeons can use to "rehearse" ahead of time. Its products have been used by surgeons at the University of Miami and a urologist at Samaritan Health in Oregon.

Related read: 13 Portland startups to watch in 2022

Mach9 Robotics

Founded last year, Pittsburgh startup Mach9 Robotics has set out to make utility infrastructure inspections more accurate. By using robots to map surface and sub-surface areas, Mach9 is able to produce geospatial renderings of critical infrastructure — like gas and water lines — down to the centimeter and in a matter of minutes, a job that normally would take a city months to accomplish. The startup has raised seed funding from Tiger Global Management, Y Combinator and Fitbit co-founder James Park.

Related read: 10 Pittsburgh startups to watch in 2022

MedHaul

MedHaul is a cloud-based tech startup that streamlines finding and booking transportation to health care facilities. Founded by Erica Plybeah, who had issues locating non-emergency, medical-related transportation for a family member, MedHaul creates a single place for health care providers to schedule and manage rides for patients. The startup was chosen to participate in Morgan Stanley’s Multicultural Innovation Lab, and Google invested $50,000 in MedHaul via its Google for Startups initiative.

Moment AI

Led by Megan Gray, a former Google project manager, Moment AI has created artificial intelligence-based tech for vulnerable drivers. Its software works to detect signs of health problems, from seizures to strokes to heart attacks to fatigue, and reduce car crashes for vulnerable populations, including the elderly, individuals with existing conditions and those under high stress.The startup, backed by SoftBank, partnered in early 2021 with George Washington University to develop its technology.

Related read: 10 D.C. startups to watch in 2022

MyForest Foods

Albany startup MyForest Foods is turning mushrooms into bacon. Its vegan bacon alternative, called MyBacon, is made by harvesting mycelium, the rootlike structure of mushrooms, and compressing it so that it compares to pork belly. It's then sliced into bacon and flavored and dried in a tumbling machine. The startup raised $40 million in a Series A round, and counts investors like Robert Downey Jr. among its backers.

Related read: 7 Albany startups to watch in 2022

Nohbo

Palm Bay startup Nohbo makes plastic waste-free personal care products like shampoo, conditioner and other items. The startup, whose investors include billionaire Mark Cuban, develops its products in water-soluble films, eliminating the need for excess plastic waste in the environment. The items are packaged in pods that dissolve when mixed with water.

Related read: 10 Orlando startups to watch in 2022

Pieces

Pieces has developed a productivity platform that allows developers to save, find and share file fragments and smaller snippets of projects. First targeted to developers, it will sell to designers next, then animators. Its goal is to help people work faster by allowing professional creators to save and store code, links, text, images and more with a simple copy and paste.

Related read: 15 Cincy startups to watch in 2022

Protégé

A mix of Cameo, MasterClass and "The Voice," Chicago startup Protégé connects up-and-coming talent with celebrities, coaches and other top experts who can provide feedback and mentorship. Founded by former executives at Cameo and Trunk Club, Protégé lets users send a 60-second video clip to anyone in the startup's network of famous musicians, vocal coaches and other industry experts. The expert reviews the video and sends back a video response with feedback. Experts have included DJ Khaled, actor Jason Alexander and singer Bebe Rexha. Protégé raised $8.5 million this year in a round led by Sequoia Capital.

Related read: 22 Chicago startups to watch in 2022

Rebundle

Rebundle manufactures and sells plant-based braided hair extensions it says are more environmentally conscious and skin-friendly than traditional hair extensions. The startup launched its first product in 2021 made with naturally extracted banana fiber. This year Rebundle closed a $1.4 million pre-seed funding round with plans to open a new manufacturing facility in St. Louis.

Related read: 10 St. Louis startups to watch in 2022

RxLightning

Digital health platform RxLightning streamlines the medication enrollment process for every specialty medication in every therapeutic area. Helping to reduce paperwork, eliminate mistakes and streamline communication, the startup offers physicians and patient advocates a direct line to specialty pharmacies. Last year, RxLightning was selected to the Microsoft for Startups program.

Related read: KY Inno's 22 startups to watch in 2022

Scythe Robotics

Scythe is creating a fully autonomous, electric lawnmower for commercial projects. Emerging from stealth last year with $13.8 million in funding, the startup developed a 4-foot-long mower with a 52-inch mowing deck and a battery that lasts for eight hours. The machine can autonomously mow two acres per hour and is designed for apartment complexes, campuses, schools and parks.

Related read: 22 Colorado startups to watch in 2022

Soona

Soona has created a same-day photo service that makes content for e-commerce companies. Its primary business involves shooting photos of products sold by online sellers, but during the pandemic, the company adopted a virtual model that allows clients to ship their products to one of Soona's studios. The startup raised a $35 million round earlier this year led by Bain Capital Ventures.

Speakfully

Wisconsin startup Speakfully has built an anonymous workplace reporting platform. Its software allows for anonymous messaging, case management and data insights for employers. Speakfully’s platform is designed for both individuals experiencing workplace harassment and discrimination, and businesses that want to use the platform to deal with internal issues. It's led by Jana Morrin, Nandini Easwar and Zach Halmstad, who previously co-founded the Apple enterprise management software company Jamf Holding Corp. (Nasdaq: JAMF), which went public in July 2020.

Related read: 10 Wisconsin startups to watch in 2022

STEMuli

Dallas startup STEMuli wants to create an educational metaverse. Providing state-aligned curriculum for second to 12th grade students in math, science, and English language arts, the startup launched its metaverse experience with the Dallas Independent School District, the second largest school district in Texas. The startup raised $3.25 million in seed funding earlier this year. 

Related read: 22 North Texas startups to watch in 2022

Syndio

Seattle startup Syndio helps companies identify pay disparities across race and gender. Its technology helps ensure employees are compensated fairly and based on their contributions – not their gender, race, or ethnicity. Its clients include Nordstrom, Salesforce and General Mills. The startup raised a $50 million Series C last year and its investors include NBA MVP Stephen Curry.

Related read: 22 Seattle startups to watch in 2022

Teeniors

Teeniors connects teenagers and young adults to train older individuals on how to use technology. Trainers are paid between $12 and $16 per hour, and Teeniors has has provided coaching for more than 4,000 adults primarily in central New Mexico.

Tendo Systems

Digital health care startup Tendo connect patients, clinicians, and caregivers throughout the care cycle. Founded in 2020 by siblings Jennifer Goldsmith and Dan Goldsmith, the startup has raised a total of $70 million to date and is valued at $550 million. Its backers include Lux Capital and General Catalyst. Its technology helps physicians spend more time with patients and less time in front of a screen.

Related read: 13 Philadelphia startups to watch in 2022

Tomu

D.C. startup Tomu manufactures prefabricated homes for personal, hospitality and short-term rentals. The startup makes Japanese- and Scandinavian-inspired modular getaway villas at a manufacturing facility in Frederick, Maryland, then delivers them to the buyers for assembly. Each has a floor plan designed to feel like a luxury hotel rather than a tiny house, with big windows, 9-foot ceilings and features like rain showers and soaking tubs. Founder Chris Osaka previously held corporate leadership positions in marketing at Hilton Worldwide and in retail development at Nike.

TurnSignl

TurnSignl provides on-demand legal help to drivers who have been stopped by police. The startup gives its users real-time access to an attorney after they have been stopped by police or are involved in a car accident, and the user’s phone camera also records the interaction. TurnSignl was selected this year to be part of Google’s startup accelerator for Black founders.

Related read: 20 Minneapolis startups to watch

Qgiv

Qgiv helps nonprofits with their fundraising management systems. It works with more than 5,000 nonprofits across the nation and groups have collectively have raised over $2 billion with the help of Qgiv's software.

Related read: 22 Tampa Bay startups to watch in 2022

QuickHire

QuickHire has developed a hiring app that uses swipe technology to quickly match employers and job seekers. Founded by by Wichita sisters Deborah Gladney and Angela Muhwezi-Hall, the startup focused primarily on service industry jobs, offering its app for free to job seekers and charges businesses to join the platform. QuickHire raised $1.4 million last year, becoming the first Black women-led startup in Kansas to raise more than $1 million in seed funding.

Related read: 6 Wichita startups to watch in 2022

We Are Rosie

We Are Rosie created an on-demand marketplace for marketing professionals, where clients get paired with teams or individuals to do specific projects. Its customers include Facebook, Bumble and Microsoft. We Are Rosie is valued at $110 million and recently landed No. 232 on the Inc. 5000 list.

Woobles

Founded by Justine Tiu, a former Google designer, and Adrian Zhang, a former Wall Street trader, Woobles creates crochet training kits. The company, which started with $200 worth of yarn two years ago, is now on track to make $7 million this year. It appeared on Shark Tank earlier this year, landing a $450,000 investment from Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner. The startup sells beginner and intermediate kits intended to help anyone crochet stuffed animals.

Funding totals courtesy of Crunchbase data. Additional reporting assistance by Brent Wistrom, Lauren Coffey, Hannah Green and Malia Spencer