After months of voting, we have finally arrived at the end of Inno Madness, a bracket-style competition where voters decide the best company among 32 innovative Bay Area startups.
The winner of the inaugural competition is Respira Labs, a Mountain View startup that has developed a wearable device that detects and analyzes airflow in a patient's lungs to monitor conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The company captured a whopping 67% of the vote in the final round.
The company's first device will be tested for feasibility at two clinics — El Camino Hospital in Mountain View and an institute in Florida — for patients with COPD, as well as asthma and Covid-19. It raised a $1 million seed round in February led by Zentynel Frontier Investments.
The runner-up was Chameleon Biosciences, a Berkeley biotech firm focusing on innovative gene therapy treatments for rare diseases. We profiled the company and its CEO Genine Winslow on how they raised their $17 million seed round and navigated the turbulent biotech industry.
We would like to thank all 32 companies for participating in the competition and helping generate engagement in the voting process. Who knows, one of the participants may grow into the next Facebook, or at least hit unicorn status. Stay tuned for next year's competition.
