South By Southwest's is just a couple of weeks away, and five Bay Area companies are finalists for the conference's annual innovation awards.
More than 50 finalists were selected across 14 categories that range from AI to design to workplace innovation.
Hayward startup Living Carbon was selected as a finalist in the sustainability category. The company, which Bay Area Inno named a Startup to Watch last year, is designing a process that lets trees capture and store more carbon dioxide than is typically possible. And it has also expanded its research into boosting the capability of root systems to absorb toxic metals from the ground.
A sixth organization originally based in San Francisco but now based in Nashville, Girls in Tech, is also a finalist in the enterprise DEI workplace category. The nonprofit organization was founded by Adriana Gascoigne in 2007 with a mission to close the gender gap in technology.
SXSW takes place from March 10-19 in Austin, Texas, and the winners of the innovation awards will be announced March 13.
Here are all five Bay Area finalists:
- Checkerspot (Alameda) — A finalist in the design category for its "Pollinator Kit," which uses algae to create a more sustainable form of polyurethane to replace traditional materials like resin for projects like making casts of objects.
- Koniku (San Rafael) — A finalist in the health and medtech category for so-called smell cyborgs which the company says will "securely and safely diagnose disease and maintain health and wellness in real-time" by using small devices that autonomously analyze compounds in the air, according to its website.
- Living Carbon (S.F.) — A finalist in the sustainability category, the company is engineering trees to become more efficient at removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and toxic metals from the ground.
- PrismWork (Palo Alto) — A finalist in the rising DEI workplace innovation category, the company provides training and data analysis to help businesses create inclusive work cultures and leadership teams.
- NewSchools Venture Fund (Oakland) — A finalist in the mid-sized DEI workplace innovation category, it was founded in 1998 by Kim Smith, John Doerr and Brook Byers. The nonprofit organization raises funding to invest in educational initiatives.
