Cricket-based snack makers, a builder of map-making robots, a startup developing 3-D TV without glasses, and 23 other companies were picked by the MassChallenge startup accelerator to compete for $1.5 million in grants on Wednesday.
The 26 companies, spanning software makers, life sciences firms, food startups, and more, were selected out of 128 companies that took part in the South Boston startup accelerator’s four-month program to pitch to a panel of judges. Between 10 and 20 of them will receive awards of $50,000 to $100,000, and Boeing and the Center for Advancement of Science in Space will award $500,000 for companies to conduct low-gravity research in labs on the International Space Station.
The winning startups will be announced at the MassChallenge Awards Ceremony on Oct. 28 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. The 26 finalists, with descriptions from MassChallenge’s press release, are:
Ajiri Tea (Pennsylvania): Ajiri aims to create a sustainable cycle of employment and education. And, of course, a delicious cup of Kenyan Coffee and Tea!
AquaFresco (Massachusetts): AquaFresco is developing the next generation close-loop laundry technology that regenerates 95% of wastewater.
Biorasis Inc. (Connecticut): Biorasis is developing a biosensor that will vastly improve the quality of life of diabetics and restore their active lifestyle.
BovControl (Brazil): Empowering livestock ranchers with reliable herd information that improves efficiency and boost profitability.
Cogentis Therapeutics (Maryland): Cogentis Therapeutics is working on a novel and potential disease-modifying peptide therapeutic for Alzheimer’s, FTD, and Parkinson’s.
danger!awesome (Massachusetts): Design and fabrication makerspace producing short-run manufacturing, customization, prototyping, collateral, and event swag for B2B and B2C.
Estrenon (Mexico): Estrenon pioneers the “reuse clothing movement” in Latin America through dignifying stores that empower the people to improve their lives.
Hydroswarm (Massachusetts): Teams of small, autonomous, underwater robots + cheap sensors + modern mesh networks = a revolution in maritime commerce and security.
Hyliion (Massachusetts): Hyliion is creating an add-on hybrid module for tractor trailers that will reduce fuel consumption by 30% with a payback of under a year.
LaunchPad Medical (Massachusetts): LaunchPad Medical brings to you Tetranite, the world’s first synthetic bone adhesive to stabilize metal hardware and repair fractured bone.
Lumii (Massachusetts): Glasses-free 3-D that works. Lumii light field displays: intuitive depth in the native format of your brain.
Nix86 (Massachusetts) Restaurants and Suppliers rely on fax-phones-email to manage 1B orders a year; Nix86’s B2B cloud solution modernizes it all with ease.
Obz Design (Massachusetts): Obz Design is changing global healthcare: better anemia diagnostics today, 600 million healthier children tomorrow!
Orange Photonics, Inc. (New Hampshire): Orange Photonics LightLab: affordable, fast marijuana potency analyzer. An essential tool for the $10 billion legal marijuana industry.
Pavlok (Massachusetts): Current fitness bands track the steps you take – but they don’t change your behavior. Pavlok changes behavior – and measurably forms habits.
Recon Therapeutics (Massachusetts): Recon Therapeutics has developed a new drug delivery technology that simplifies reconstitution of a lyophilized drug with solvent at the POC.
RubyRide (Arizona): RideRuby Structured Transportation: People experience proximity by ease of access, not distance. We create proximity by improving access.
Sanitation and Health Rights in India (SHRI) (Massachusetts): SHRI fights alongside communities to end outdoor defecation in an ongoing struggle for health equity and social and economic justice.
SidelineSwap (Massachusetts): SidelineSwap is a marketplace where people connect to buy, sell, and trade sporting goods.
Six Foods (Massachusetts): Six Foods is normalizing insects as a sustainable food. Try Chirps, a cricket chip that has more protein per serving than an egg.
Spoiler Alert (Massachusetts): Spoiler Alert is a B2B marketplace and reporting tool to help businesses manage wasted food, improve margins, and fight food insecurity.
TVision Insights (Massachusetts) At TVision Insights, we leverage state of art computer vision technology to redefine TV rating for new generation TV
Unshrinkit (Massachusetts): Finally, the emergency sweater saver is here. Unshrinkit helps unshrink wool clothing that accidentally shrunk in the washer or dryer.
Virtudent (Massachusetts): Virtudent – bringing high quality dental care right to your office.
World Tech Makers (Colombia): World Tech Makers is the first on-site and immersive coding bootcamp in Latin America. We teach anyone how to code from scratch in 12 weeks.
XactSense (Rhode Island): XactSense builds LIDAR scanning UAVs for the $270B geospatial industry our scanning robots make the next generation of 3D maps in minutes.