Welcome to the inaugural Bay Area Inno Awards. This year the Silicon Valley Business Journal and San Francisco Business Times are highlighting nine startups from nine different categories across the innovation space.
We chose these firms based on their ability to fundamentally change the game in their respective fields, grow quickly and durably and develop useful products to solve compelling problems. Among them are companies that are revolutionizing farming equipment, developing software to improve democracy or just finding an actually useful way to use blockchain technology.
The sky is not even the limit for these startups.
Here are the first class of Bay Area Inno Award honorees, listed in the alphabetical order of their primary industry:
Agriculture — Monarch Tractor
- A Tesla for farmers? This startup is about to debut it. Monarch Tractor aims to revolutionize the farming industry with its driver-optional, fully electric tractor.
Artificial intelligence — Inworld AI
- Startup making the virtual world a little more realistic. Inworld AI helps developers make lifelike characters for virtual worlds.
Cybersecurity — Veza
- A more straightforward approach to cybersecurity. Follow the users. Veza is making a strong debut in a complicated, ever-changing industry with tons of competitors.
Health Care — Color Health
- Color Health started with genetics. Next up: primary care. The pandemic was a watershed moment for Color's leadership team.
Nonprofit — Vote America
- This nonprofit startup wants to get every eligible voter registered. VoteAmerica is building software to support this country’s most vital and core institution — democracy.
Robotics — Teleo
- Can construction be managed remotely? Yes, this startup says. Teleo provides hardware and software allowing a remote operator to control heavy equipment.
Sustainability — Planet FWD
- This startup will helps brands reduce their carbon impact. Founder Julia Collins initially wanted to offer sustainably produced packaged food. Now her startup is helping other companies go green.
Transportation — PlusAI
- Startup's goal: Big rigs — without the truck driver. The efforts of PlusAI, a well-backed Santa Clara company, could revolutionize the $4 billion trucking market.
Web3 — Helium
- Can you incentivize the spread of WiFi? This startup has a way. Helium wants to install devices to help create a decentralized wireless network across the world.
