For the second year in a row, the underdogs were the big winners in the first round of St. Louis Inno Madness.
In our friendly, bracket-style challenge, the lower seeds won in 11 of the 16 first-round matchups of our 32-company bracket. Some of the biggest upsets included wins by No. 29 GreenFrame over No. 4 Summersalt and No. 28 ChiChi topping No. 5 Aptimmune.
More than 1,000 individuals cast votes in the first round of this year’s St. Louis Inno Madness. Several of the first-round matchups were nail biters, decided by only a few percentage points. One matchup, between No. 12 SwipeSum and No. 21 DataPlant, was decided by just 11 votes.
The close matchups and hundreds of votes highlight the goal of Inno Madness, which is to give a snapshot of some of the most-promising tech companies in St. Louis. This contest is by no means a complete list of St. Louis' best startups, which is a testament to the size of St. Louis' tech scene. The bracket is meant to represent the full breadth and diversity of the ecosystem. In the end, look at the bracket as a fun look into local, technology-enabled companies you need to know in 2023.
Second-round voting in St. Louis Inno Madness has begun and continues through 3 p.m., Monday, March 27. In this competition, we're asking voters to advance companies based on one question: Who would you invest in? Whether you believe in one mission or product slightly 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. Readers can cast one vote per round.
As a reminder, seeding in the bracket was determined based on the amount of funding raised by each company and name recognition of the businesses nominated. Meet the round two participants below.
Before we unveil the second-round bracket, we’d like to provide a tip of the cap to the companies that won’t be advancing to the next round. Thank you for your participation and for adopting the spirit of Inno Madness through your friendly competition and efforts to get out the vote for your companies. We hope to see you again in the bracket next year and encourage you to vote for your fellow local startups throughout the rest of this year's contest.
Now, let’s get to Round 2…
MEET THE PLAYERS
Matchup 1
#1 Arcadian Infracom: Founded in 2018, Arcadian develops and operates long-haul fiber networks for use by technology companies and carriers. Arcadian's key focus is serving rural and tribal lands in an effort to boost broadband access in underserved areas. Arcadian in 2021 secured $140 million in financing to move forward with its first fiber routes.
#17 Flipstik: Flipstik gained prominence in November 2020 after appearing on ABC reality television show “Shark Tank.” It has developed a patented, reusable adhesive that attaches to a phone’s cover and can serve as a kickstand as well as be used to stick a phone to a flat surface. Its product allows users to complete tasks such as watching videos, taking selfies and using GPS hands-free. Flipstik closed on a $1.2 million funding pre-seed funding round in late 2022 to expand its product line.
Matchup 2
#2 Geneoscopy: Gastrointestinal health startup Geneoscopy has developed an at-home, preventive screening test for colorectal cancer. Geneoscopy in January released results of a clinical trial, saying its test “can accurately detect if people have cancer and if they have advanced adenomas that put them at higher risk of developing cancer.” It closed on a $105 million funding round in 2021.
#15 GiftAMeal: Launched in 2015, GiftAMeal has developed an app that provides a meal to someone in need each time a user takes a photo on its app at a partner restaurant. The startup works with local food pantries to distribute the meals. In 2021, it raised $500,000 from investors to pursue growth in new cities.
Matchup 3
#3 Capacity: Founded in 2017 by local entrepreneurs David Karandish and Chris Sims, Capacity has developed an AI-enabled “help desk” technology that’s designed to capture and collect an organization’s information from various sources to automate support for employees or customers. It expanded in January with the acquisition of St. Louis-based text messaging software startup Textel.
#19 Honeymoon Chocolates: Honeymoon is a maker of healthier chocolate, selling “bean to bar” chocolate that includes no refined sugar and is sweetened using only raw honey. It is pursuing expansion through a launch of new alcohol and food offerings, adding a cafe inside its Clayton brick-and-mortar storefront and factory.
Matchup 4
#20 HomeTraq: Founded in 2017, HomeTraq has created a home showing app designed to help users find agents to schedule a home showing. It was selected for the Capital Innovators startup accelerator in 2019 and won an Arch Grant that same year.
#29 GreenFrame: GreenFrame is a new tool meant to change the way consumers shop for cannabis. It allows shoppers to scan a QR code – branded with a green frame around it and displayed on retail signage or cannabis product packaging – to explore different strains of cannabis.
Matchup 5
#21 Dataplant: Dataplant has created customer management software to automate insights that companies can use to interact with customers to help them retain revenue. Its software is designed with artificial intelligence to create analysis and reports companies can use to manage their customer base. Dataplant in 2022 closed on a $500,000 seed funding round led by the seed stage fund of St. Louis-based venture capital firm Cultivation Capital.
#28 ChiChi: Founded by Washington University students, ChiChi makes and sells high protein chickpea oatmeal.
Matchup 6
#22 Hive Medical: Hive has developed a sensor that allows doctors to monitor patients’ IV infusions remotely. It is a member of the 2022 cohort of nonprofit startup funder Arch Grants.
#27 VertiGreens: VertiGreens is a hydroponic farming company focused on using shipping containers to grow herbs and greens.
Matchup 7
#10 Impetus Agriculture: Founded in 2018 by BioGenerator, The Yield Lab and the venture arm of seed supplier KWS, Impetus Agriculture is developing technology to create novel insect control products. Its goal is to enhance protein technology that has been used in previous pesticide products so that it's more effective at mitigating pests. Impetus has raised $5 million from investors.
#26 EDUrain: The startup has developed a marketplace designed to be used by colleges and universities to assist students with securing off-campus housing. Its platform provides students with a free credit building program.
Matchup 8
#24 WingXpand: It has created a drone it describes as a “plane in a pack,” with a portable design using patented technology that allows its wings to be stored in a backpack and expand to a seven-foot wingspan. WingXpand is a member of the 2022 Arch Grants cohort and was selected last year as one of 12 companies to participate in the TechStars LA & Space Accelerator program.
#25 Pivto Digital Learning: Pivto is an educational technology company that creates digital learning programs for the health care industry. Its content has ranged from video and simulation training for employees to continuing education programming for medical professionals. It is a member of the 2022 Arch Grants cohort.
Read contest rules here.
