Left to right: Judge Rose LeJiste; Bryan Young, CEO of Home Lending Pal; Brad Kugler, CEO of Direct Mail 2.0; Robert Masson, CEO of eXeX; Benny Pearman, COO of SynMatter; Judge Eric Aaronson; Christina Roberts, director of 3DE by Junior Achievement; Judge Richard Heruska
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Tampa's technology conference Synapse Summit hopes to prove that innovation lives in Florida.
It hosted dozens of speakers discussing the topic and brought in startups from across the country. But it also put several companies to the test with its awards showcase, where a panel of judges selected the most innovative of the bunch.
Tampa Bay Inno pulled together the winners of the event's competitions below:
- Danielle Mousseau, manager at Florida Power and Light and the Juno Beach-based 35 Mules incubator, won a newly created, unannounced ecosystem partner award. The award honors Florida's innovation ecosystem.
- Junior Achievement of Tampa Bay won the community impact award. The nonprofit works throughout the Tampa Bay area to educate students on work skills, financial planning and academic decisions.
- Orlando-based SynMatter won the emerging technology award. The company maintains a laboratory at Space Florida-run Space Life Science Lab and seeks to synthesize materials for goals like corrosion protection.
- Orlando-based Expanded Existence won the tech startup award, as a less than 2 years old tech startup. The venture wants to develop AI and mixed reality software for health care and operation room environments.
- Orlando-based Home Lending Pal won the innovative product award. The company has created a platform to help prospective homebuyers find lenders and mortgage options.
- Clearwater-based DirectMail2.0 won the high-growth company award. The marketing service works to track marketing campaigns and make them more effective by providing outreach analytics of various communication channels.
- Tampa-based Aayu and Box won the $50,000 Tampa General Hospital-partnered Innovation Challenge, which sought solutions to rural healthcare access. This company provides a monthly subscription service of cancer diagnostic tools, screening and education materials, according to a release.
The team behind Aayu and Box stands for a picture after winning.
Courtesy of Synapse
