We’re down to eight companies in our 2023 Inno Madness bracket competition among D.C.-area startups. And the title is anyone’s for the taking.
Our 16-company bracket has been cut in half, and now the survivors are duking it out for bragging rights.
And of course, thank you all for voting to keep the madness going. Your vote comes down to a simple question: Which of these companies would you back, given the chance?
Round 1 recap
The first round saw some upsets, including Blossom Beverages over the No. 1 seed ThreatQuotient and Bladestack over the No. 3 seed Puzzle Huddle. And a new tournament contender, Escalate, advanced over Inno Madness veteran Decision Lens.
Brackets busted all around, and there’s more where that came from. Check out the bracket below to see the Round 2 matchups.
The rulebook
Once again, it’s time to vote — one vote per round. Be sure 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 (you can sign up for free).
Second-round voting begins now and continues for one week, ending 5 a.m. on April 3. Readers can cast one vote per round. We'll open up voting, and each round will last a week, so make sure you're paying attention to dates. We will crown our ultimate Inno Madness winner April 17.
Meet the participants below and read the contest rules here.
Game time!
Alright, it's time now to check out the bracket below of our eight remaining contenders to see the Round 2 matchups and to cast your vote below. And if you need a refresher of the remaining companies, see our descriptions below before starting to vote.
The roster
Meet the remaining 2023 participants:
Matchup 1
Blossom Beverages: Looking to stake a claim in the hospitality realm, this D.C. beverage company provides customers a canned espresso martini, debuting at Union Market. (Seed: 16)
CarpeDM: This is a D.C.-born dating app, a cohort member of the Techstars accelerator program and one of the Washington Business Journal's Inno on Fire firms, that provides vetted, hand-curated relationship matches for Black women. (Seed: 9)
Matchup 2
Veriheal: This D.C. medical cannabis firm connects patients seeking medical marijuana cards with doctors via a web-based platform, operating in at least 36 states and the District. (Seed: 4)
Escalate: This Silver Spring e-learning platform helps employer solve retention issues by using AI-driven aptitude tests to find hidden talents in employees for workers to train, improve and grow with the company. (Seed: 12)
Matchup 3
Zephyr AI: Based out McLean, this was one of the Washington Business Journal's startups to watch for 2023. It uses medical data, like clinical research or hospital patient data, to help medical providers improve outcomes in patient care and research. (Seed: 2)
Happied: Another 2023 startup to watch at the Washington Business Journal, the D.C. startup works with customers to help plan their corporate and staff gatherings and events. (Seed: 7)
Matchup 4
Bladestack: This Tysons cybersecurity firm helps companies overcome their cloud security and federal cybersecurity compliance issues while committing heavily to a samurai motif. (Seed: 14)
KeifeRx: This McLean biotech company develops treatments for neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington's and Lewy body dementia. (Seed: 6)
