After two rounds of voting, Minne Inno readers have selected the Elite Eight in Tech Madness, our bracket competition where we ask readers to vote for their favorite tech companies in the local startup scene.
How will things play out in the Elite Eight? Let's take a closer look at a few of the matchups.
Structural was on a roll heading into the Sweet Sixteen after taking down Minneapolis tech pillar Leadpages. But in a face off with Aftercode in the second round, the St. Paul company fell short against a fellow artificial intelligence startup. Aftercode, lead by Code42 co-founder and former chief technology officer Mitch Coopet, next goes up against SportsEngine.
Speaking of Code42 – the data-protection company is still in the running. It beat Flipgrid, and is probably now the largest remaining tech company in the competition. Next, Code42 faces Branch Messenger. Last round, Branch topped fellow employee scheduling software startup When I Work to advance.
If there's one company to keep an eye on in the Elite Eight, it's StemoniX. The bio-tech business (and 2016 Minnesota Cup champion) received more votes than any other company in rounds one and two. StemoniX edged out Zipnosis by just 11 votes in the Sweet Sixteen. In the Elite Eight, StemoniX faces Bright Health, which last summer raised $160 million, the largest round of venture capital funding in Minnesota history. So Bright Health may give StemoniX a run for its money.
In other matchups, SportsEngine topped 75F; Bright Health beat Revel; Upsie edged out Kipsu; and Kidizen beat Field Nation.
It's round three, so you know the drill when it comes to voting. Ask yourselves: Which companies would I invest in? This can be interpreted a number of different ways. Is this about which startup could deliver the highest return? Who you think is the safest bet? Or is it about supporting a project or mission you’re passionate about? How ever you wish to interpret that question is up to you.
Now that there are fewer teams in the mix, we're picking up speed. Instead of six days to vote, you now have five. Be sure to cast your vote by Tuesday, April 3 at 11:59 p.m. Vote for your favorite companies then share with friends and colleagues to help us determine a winner.
