Voting was tight in the latest round of our Inno Madness startup company bracket challenge, with most of the contests decided by a few votes.
With more than 450 votes tallied, three of the four contests were decided by a single percentage point.
Inno Madness is the Sacramento Business Journal's Inno section's bracket-style competition to highlight the startups in our innovation economy.
In the third round, two Yolo County contenders faced off. West Sacramento-based California Cultured, which is developing lab-created chocolate, edged past smart parking technology company Japa Inc. of Woodland.
Three of the top seeds from the first round of 16 didn't move on to the round of eight last week. And in the latest round, the last top seed, digital license plate company ReviverMX Inc., fell to prep sports broadcasting app GameMic.
The top seeds were determined by the most money raised in venture capital funding.
GameMic has an active local user base connected with prep sports at local high schools. Active user base might also explain how Elk Grove-based reputation management software company EyeRate squeaked past West Sacramento's Hamama, which makes kits for people to grow microgreens in their own home.
There was some causeway college rivalry as well, as college-focused social app Buzly, which launched out of California State University Sacramento, got edged out by Matrubials Inc., a company spun out of the Foods for Health Institute at the University of California Davis. Matrubials is developing antibacterial therapies from milk products for use in health care.
Now it's time to vote again for the Sacramento region's startup community, in the third round of our bracket challenge competition.
These four remaining companies will go head-to-head, with our readers determining who moves on to the next round.
There is no prize money, and there will be no pitches necessary. It's just for fun and glory. Along the way, local startups get exposure to more people. Here are the official rules.
Voting for the third round is open now, it will run through 9 a.m. on March 28.
