The quarterfinal round of Minne Inno Madness is now underway after a competitive Round 2 bounced eight companies out of contention.
Strong vote getters in Round 1, Nexben, Telo and Branch all lost in their matchups. Meanwhile, Prevent Biometrics remained the No. 1 vote getter in back-to-back rounds.
Round 3 voting starts now and continues through March 18 at 11:59 pm. See below for the schedule for the rest of the competition. The final winner will be announced the week of March 28.
- March 18: Round 3 voting ends at 11:59 pm
- March 22: Round 4 voting opens in the morning
- March 23: Round 4 voting ends at 11:59 pm
- March 24: Round 5 voting opens in the morning
- March 25: Round 5 voting ends at 11:59 pm
Meet the Players:
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 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. The bracket is designed to shine a spotlight on 32 innovative, fast-growing local businesses.
The bracket is assembled based on reader nominations, as well as editorial input from the Minne Inno team. Seeding was determined randomly. Meet the participants below and read the content rules here.
Let's get into Round 3...
Matchup 1
- OurFamilyWizard provides a co-parenting app for divorced and separated parents that allows for easier communication, with tools that track expenses, a shared calendar and secure messaging.
- REMastered Sleep produces a water bottle that improves the sleep of snorers by strengthening the muscles in their tongue and throat.
Matchup 2
- Gwoop uses exercises grounded in cognitive science to improve gamers' reaction times, visual memory and speed.
- Proserva is a training tool for teachers that measures their performance in real time, eliminating the inefficiency of workshops and broad training seminars.
Matchup 3
- Marani Health is developing a digital rental and postpartum care platform that will combine a mobile app with a clinical portal.
- Prevent Biometrics is a sports-tech startup that creates a concussion-monitoring mouthguard.
Matchup 4
- Kidizen is an online resale platform for children's clothing and apparel.
- Duos pairs a trained personal assistant for aging with an older adult. The companions then provide everything from help ordering groceries to arranging safe transportation.
Read contest rules here
