Inno Madness has entered its second round with just 16 companies remaining, pitting S.F. against Silicon Valley to see which early-stage startup has what it takes to be champion.
The competition asks voters "which company they would invest in," drawing queries from around the region and sorting out the early exits from the "to the moon" future unicorns. Its goal is to highlight some of the most promising and innovative pre-series A startups in the bay, and is by no means a comprehensive list of all the companies the area has to offer.
The bracket was assembled based on reader nominations, as well as editorial input from the Bay Area Inno team. We split the bracket into two regions: Those in Silicon Valley and the South Bay, and those in the San Francisco and East Bay areas. Beyond that, the seeding was random.
This round will only last week, ending Tuesday, April 5, at 11:59 p.m. Read the contest rules here.
Meet the Players:
SAN FRANCISCO REGION
Chameleon Biosciences Berkeley
Treatments for genetic disorders hold a lot of promise but won't be effective if they trigger an immune response from the very patient it's meant to help. Chameleon Biosciences' founder has an extensive career in biotech, and the company is developing a way to deliver gene therapies while preventing an immune response.
Dokkaebier Oakland
This line of Asian-flavored craft beer is named after dokkaebi, mythological creatures from Korean folklore that Dokkaebier says are playful, mischievous and love "to eat, drink, and be in the company of others." Its founder has a long background in the food industry and is now bringing Asian flavors to the world of craft beer.
Glyphic Biotechnologies San Francisco
Along with DNA, protein sequencing can unlock a wealth of information about how our bodies work. It's a field of study called proteomics. The founders created Glyphic to make the sequencing process faster and more accurate.
Karuna Labs San Francisco
Virtual reality isn't just for gaming anymore. Karuna Labs is developing a pain management system that's delivered through a VR headset to help people with chronic pain get relief without the pain killers.
Lioness Oakland
Women's sexual health, and pleasure, are still taboo in many places and Lioness wants to empower women to understand their orgasms by arming them with data via a smart vibrator. And importantly, its founding team includes two women.
iDENTICAL Walnut Creek
Nobody looks forward to dental surgery, but iDENTICAL is developing a way to scan a patient's tooth and create a 3D replica so that it can be implanted back into a patient's mouth without any drilling. Its co-founder worked in consumer insights at Clorox for eight years and joined a different specialized dental implant company before founding iDENTICAL.
Agtonomy South San Francisco
Agtonomy's founder has dealt with the farmworker shortage firsthand at his own vineyard and olive ranch in Geyserville. The experience inspired him to action, and now he's working with manufacturers to make farm equipment autonomous.
Rubi Laboratories Sausalito
Twin sisters are developing a way to spin rayon out of carbon dioxide pulled from the atmosphere in order to make biodegradable textiles that could help the fashion industry lower its carbon footprint.
SILICON VALLEY REGION
Buzz Solutions Palo Alto
Buzz Solutions has developed AI software that analyzes images captured by drones and helicopters to detect faults and other anomalies along power lines. The technology is used to help power companies repair their power lines, helping prevent wildfires and power outages.
Cruz Foam Santa Cruz
Cruz Foam makes a biodegradable plastic made from chitin, a biopolymer found in shrimp shells. The startup helps companies avoid the use of petroleum-based plastics, which helps reduce their environmental footprint.
Locale Los Gatos
Locale has curated a list of food items from local vendors across the Bay Area. Locale delivers the goods for a flat fee every Saturday, and picks up the items the day before so the products stay fresh, honoring the high-quality nature of their vendors' products.
dNovo San Jose
DNovo has created a hair loss treatment based on stem cells. The company uses a technique called direct reprogramming to convert skin cells into hair stem cells. This technique targets the root cause of hair loss, providing a treatment for those who've completely lost their hair.
Ebb Carbon San Carlos
Ebb Carbon is pioneering a new approach to ocean-based carbon removal. The company's proprietary electrochemical system enhances the ocean’s natural ability to safely store excess atmospheric carbon dioxide, while reducing ocean acidity.
ParkStash San Jose
ParkStash helps drivers find parking in garages, parking lots and even in homeowners' driveways. The app lets property owners lease out their parking lots and driveways and provides drivers with live occupancy information, helping them reduce the time they spend circling for parking.
Learnfully Redwood City
Learnfully helps the parents of neurodivergent children assess their kids' learning abilities. The company uses AI to measure students' responses and impressions and creates a profile so they can easily assess progress toward their learning goals.
Respira Labs Mountain View
Respira Labs has created an AI-enabled device to measure the acoustics of patients' lungs. The small, portable device provides a way to detect worsening symptoms in patients suffering from COPD, asthma or Covid-19.
