Tampa Bay Inno Madness is causing some, well, madness — Round 1 brought close calls, underdog takeovers, and a few dominations by powerhouse companies.
In case you missed it, we kicked off our annual bracket-style challenge showcasing 32 Tampa Bay tech companies in the region. There was a simple ask: Who would you back?
Much like the investor ecosystem at large, nearly 600 voters had differing thoughts on who was the best bet. There were strong pulls for blockchain-focused Pocket Network and BlockSpaces, which got 28% and 12% more votes than their counterparts.
Some of the new kids on the Tampa Bay block upset long-standing cyber companies. You had Shamrck, a newly-relocated St. Pete startup, beat cyber giant KnowBe4 with a close 52% of the vote. Similarly, newcomer COI Energy beat former Silicon Valley's OPSWAT with 53% of votes.
In some larger landslides, insurtech startup Slide pulled ahead of Rewst with 60% of votes, and AI-powered Chattr also conquered water bottle company Cirkul, getting 63%.
The results are proof it can be anyone's game, so get to voting before March 17 when we move on to the final eight standouts.
Meet the super 16:
Shamrck: A data and workforce development firm that helps high school students find their ideal careers and teams up with businesses to offer micro-internships 1
ReliaQuest: A cybersecurity company that hit unicorn status in December 2021
COI Energy: A digital energy management platform that works with both businesses and utility companies to eliminate energy waste in buildings
Slide: An insurance technology startup launched in late 2021 by Bruce Lucas, the former founder of publicly traded Heritage Insurance
Ideal Agent: A proptech company which offers a platform that connects sellers and buyers with brokers across the nation. The company was the runner-up in 2021's Inno Madness competition.
Pocket Network: The blockchain-focused company launched in 2020 and by January 2022 hit a valuation worth more than $1.5 billion.
A-LIGN: A cybersecurity and compliance company
Red Rover: Founded by PODS co-founder, it improves upon the previous model that offers a patent-pending ramp system and trucks for free at various locations, simply charging for the cost of the container.
Paragon Cyber Solutions: A cybersecurity company providing expertise to startups, government agencies and commercial companies. It was the winner of last year's Inno Madness competition.
JustProtect: Offers a cloud-based platform that centralizes, automates, and simplifies assessing third-party companies and staying compliant
Edgility: A health care system that improves gaps and delays in information flow in health care systems, founded by two former Tampa General Hospital employees.
Kliken: A product of marketing technology startup SiteWit, which helps users gain new customers through custom marketing campaigns
Chattr: An artificial intelligence-powered software focused on making hiring easier in the retail industry
BlockSpaces: Offers a platform that connects business applications to enterprise blockchain networks
Aspen RxHealth: Leverages both telehealth and the gig economy to connect users with pharmacists to deliver clinical services
Vū Studios: A network of virtual production studios working with film producers, corporate clients and agencies
Voting timeline:
Round 1: March 3-10
Round 2: March 10-17
Round 3: March 17-22
Final round: March 23-25
