Inno Madness has made it to a critical juncture: Round 3.
After this round, it's knockout time. But first, readers must choose the startups in the remaining bracket — the last before the competition narrows to the final matchup.
Round 2 saw even more participation than Round 1. In fact, it might have seen the highest turnout in the past several years of Inno Madness. In round 2, voting picked up, and nearly 4,000 readers selected their favorite startups. The round also held some big names getting knocked out.
Cybersecurity firm Deepwatch, which has hundreds of millions in venture backing, lost to scrappy fintech startup Grifin. Lakeland-based Hook Security won out over early-stage startup Clearset.AI by more than a 10% margin. Reptrics also saw a similar jump in votes against Shyftoff.
Inno Madness Round 3
Matchup One: Grifin vs. The Natural Nipple
- Tampa startup Natural Nipple is seeking to aid breastfeeding in hospitals through infant feeding alternative bottles. The startup has backing from Johnson & Johnson and Florida Blue.
- Tampa fintech startup Grifin simplifies stock investing by allowing users to invest as they shop. It has raised millions in funding.
Matchup Two: Reptrics vs. Chattr
- Tampa-based software startup Reptrics closed an investment from TampaBay.Ventures in 2022. Its software service seeks to help businesses manage their data.
- Tampa AI hiring software startup Chattr has raised more than $3 million in recent years and partners with fast-food chains and retail stores across Florida.
Matchup Three: Hook Security vs. ArchSlate
- Tampa tech startup ArchSlate closed a $700,000 pre-seed round with participation from Tampa Bay area investors in 2022. Its platform seeks to offer collaboration and automation for the construction industry.
- Lakeland-based cybersecurity startup Hook Security closed $5.5 million in 2023 from investors across the state. It combines psychology with programming for its cybersecurity services.
Matchup Four: Fractio vs. Scholar Education
- Fatin Kwasny founded Tampa startup Fractio to create a subscription platform connecting startups to fractional employees.
- Tampa edtech startup Scholar Education closed a $1.5 million friends and family funding round in March with participation from a cast of Tampa Bay entrepreneurs and businesspeople. The startup has an AI platform for tutoring students and is piloting its tech in Florida.
