It’s still anyone’s game — including the underdogs.
That’s the biggest takeaway from the first round of DC Inno’s 2022 Madness competition, which kicked off March 1 and is now well underway. We’ve cut the contest’s 32 teams in half, now with 16 in contention for the title. And that’s all thanks to your votes.
Round 1 recap
Over the last week, we’ve seen some fan favorites from past years once again hold their positions: 2021 winner Somatus knocked out D.C.’s KnoNap and returning player Omnispace advanced over first-time competitor Entrada ESL.
Matchups involving teams returning to the competition saw Rose Health win over Flikshop and MemoryWell edge out Wellthi, formerly Invest Sou Sou. True Made Foods, new to the arena this year, collected more votes than Please Assist Me, which made it to the second round in 2021.
We also witnessed some battles too close for comfort: CorasCloud over ThreatQuotient and Selfcenter over Cofense, each race separated by a mere 13 votes of the more than 1,765 in this first round.
And yes, there were some wins for the companies with higher seeds: Mindoula Health (No. 5) over Pal (No. 28), ChurnZero (No. 6) over Politicking (No. 27), MarginEdge (No. 7) over Cureate (No. 26), Shift 5 (No. 9) over Tomu (No. 24) and Decision Lens (No. 12) over Electo Analytics (No. 21).
But there were also some upsets. Symplicity (No. 25) took the first round from GetUpside (No. 8), VirgilHR (No. 23) beat HyperSpectral ADP (No. 10), OxiWear (No. 19) edged out Myya (No. 14) and Wellfound Foods (No. 17) advanced over Frolick (No. 16).
The ones to beat? Wellfound Foods, MemoryWell, True Made Foods and Somatus — which each captured more than 60% of the votes in their first-round matchups.
The rulebook
Now, it’s time to vote for Round 2. Each reader can cast one vote per round. Feel free to share the bracket with your networks and mark your calendars so you can join us for the ride. And you can follow it all in our twice-weekly newsletter, The Beat. Here’s the full schedule:
- Round 2 voting March 8-14
- Round 3 voting March 15-21
- Round 4 voting March 22-28
- Round 5 voting March 29-April 4. We’ll announce the winner April 5.
Meet the participants below and read the contest rules here.
Game time!
Click on the bracket to see the Round 2 matchups and to cast your vote. And if you need a refresher of the remaining companies, see our descriptions below before starting to vote.
The roster
Meet the 2022 participants:
Matchup 1
Somatus: The McLean kidney care startup is expanding its comprehensive care model for patients with chronic disease and end-stage renal disease — and was crowned champion of the 2021 competition. (Seed: 1)
Wellfound Foods: The D.C. tech-enabled startup dispenses healthy, fresh food from its smart vending machines at businesses around the region — and is one of our 2022 Startups to Watch. (Seed: 17)
Matchup 2
Shift5: The Arlington cybersecurity startup is focused on protecting transportation and military systems from cyberattacks. (Seed: 9)
Symplicity: Also based in Arlington, the software company provides students with tools to prepare for jobs post-graduation. (Seed: 25)
Matchup 3
Selfcenter: The Alexandria artificial intelligence startup has a tech to help users overcome burnout by balancing work and personal life. (Seed: 29)
Rose Health: The District mental health startup helps doctors identify symptoms and get their patients necessary care. (Seed: 13)
Matchup 4
Decision Lens: The Arlington company has a cloud-based analytics platform for public sector organizations. (Seed: 12)
Mindoula Health: The Silver Spring behavioral health company serves patients across the continuum of care. (Seed: 5)
Matchup 5
Omnispace: The Tysons satellite company is aiming to create seamless 5G connectivity for companies that operate across urban and more rural areas globally. (Seed: 2)
MemoryWell: The D.C. storytelling startup connects seniors and their families with professional writers to share their stories with their caregivers. (Seed: 15)
Matchup 6
VirgilHR: The human resources compliance company has a technology that aggregates federal, state and local employment and labor laws to help employers stay compliant with requirements. (Seed: 23)
MarginEdge: The Fairfax software startup digitizes bookkeeping for its restaurant customers. (Seed: 7)
Matchup 7
CorasCloud: The McLean platform helps federal customers build applications without the need for coding. (Seed: 30)
OxiWear: The Arlington med-tech startup is developing a wearable device to monitor oxygen levels. (Seed: 19)
Matchup 8
True Made Foods: The Alexandria bottled sauce maker has a growing line of veggie-based condiments. (Seed: 11)
ChurnZero: The D.C. software firm has a platform to help reduce customer loss and boost retention for its client companies. (Seed: 6)
