Our Seattle Inno Madness competition is here, and we have 16 local startups vying for the coveted title of 2022 Inno Madness champion.
Inno Madness is our friendly, bracket-style challenge where readers vote to advance companies based on one question: Who would you invest in? Whether you believe in one mission or product over the other, or would prefer to back a more established company versus an early stage startup, how you answer that question is entirely up to you. The bracket is designed to shine a spotlight on 16 innovative, fast-growing local businesses.
The bracket is assembled based on reader nominations, as well as editorial input from the Seattle Inno team. Seeding was determined by a variety of factors, including company size, funding and business focus. Meet the participants below and read the contest rules here.
The goal of Inno Madness is to give a snapshot of some of the most-promising tech companies in the Seattle area. It is by no means a complete list of the Seattle area's best startups, which is a testament to the size of the region's tech scene. It's also not just a list of the 16 most-funded startups in the region.
Instead, the bracket is meant to represent the full breadth and diversity of the ecosystem. In the end, think of the bracket as just a fun look into local tech companies you need to know in 2022. You can see a longer list here of startups worth keeping an eye on in the Puget Sound region.
First-round voting begins now and continues through Tuesday, March 8 at 2 p.m. Readers can cast one vote per round. We'll open up voting round by round, ultimately crowning an INNO MADNESS winner at the end of March.
Let's get into Round 1...
Meet the companies:
Flyhomes: A real estate tech startup that helps homebuyers present all-cash offers to sellers
Helion Energy: A fusion energy company focused on zero-carbon electricity
Esper: An intelligent device startup that helps manage and update internet-connected devices
Logixboard: A startup that makes customer experience software for freight forwarders
Bttn: A digital marketplace for medical supplies
Proxi: An online map-building platform
Modern Electron: A startup that offers an attachment for heaters to make them more efficient
Cloud Paper: A startup that makes tree-free toilet paper and paper towels from bamboo
Picnic Works: A company that makes a pizza-assembling robot
Clearbrief: A startup that uses AI to check legal briefs against source documents
Uplevel: A platform for managers overseeing product development goals
Boundless Immigration: A startup that connects users with an immigration lawyer and lets them file paperwork online
Coding Dojo: A coding bootcamp that doesn't require experience
Novel Effect: An app that creates sound effects and music when reading to children
Proprio: A medical imaging company that combines human and computer vision
Lyn Health: A medical platform that brings together multiple types of care in a single place
Read contest rules here.
