MassChallenge Texas has named 14 companies as finalists for its second annual Austin-based accelerator program.
The companies will compete for $500,000 in equity-free cash prizes at the MassChallenge Texas Austin Awards ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 17th at the Hilton Austin. The Awards Ceremony will include keynotes from Texas-based influencers Sara T Brand of True Wealth Ventures and William Hurley, known as whurley, cofounder of Strangeworks, Honest Dollar and Chaotic Moon.
“All of the startups in MassChallenge’s second Austin-based program are creating solutions to address some of the biggest and most important challenges facing the world,” Mike Millard, the managing director of MassChallenge Texas in Austin, said in a news release. “It’s amazing to see how much these entrepreneurs have grown in such a short amount of time.”
The 14 finalists were chosen from a group of 79 early-stage startups that participated in the accelerator. A panel of judges will select the winners.
The 14 finalists are: (descriptions provided by MassChallenge Texas)
Catalyst Education:(Austin, Texas): Catalyst Education is founded by experienced and proven STEM EdTech entrepreneurs targeting the $1.3B Higher Ed. lab course learning market.
Collective Liberty: (Washington, D.C.): Collective Liberty facilitates anti-trafficking collaboration across industries and stakeholders to create ground-breaking, data-driven approaches that work.
GotSpot, Inc: (Houston, Texas): GotSpot is short-term space for your business. We’re a marketplace where entrepreneurs borrow Main Street space to grow their businesses.
MµZ Motion, LLC: (Fort Worth, Texas): MµZ Motion is driving the Future of Robotics with the Next Generation in High-Performance Motion.
MakersValley, LLC: (New York, Texas): MakersValley is the AirBnB of small batch apparel manufacturing with the goal to democratize the manufacturing industry.
Men’s Gold Boxx: (Austin, Texas): MensGoldBoxx is a Big & Tall ecommerce revolution. Intuitive customer profiles make finding your fit and style easy. Technology built to be licensed.
Olifant Medical: (San Antonio, Texas) Olifant Medical has developed a stylet technology that overcomes the current barriers to successful tracheal intubation.
Phylomics Diagnostics: (Coppell, Texas) Phylomics provides early detection of multiple cancers in presumably healthy individuals by analyzing blood serum.
Pocket Innovations, LLC: (Richmond, Virginia) Pocket Innovations solves the common complication of pocket hematoma associated with pacemaker implants. This new medical device is the first preventative solution.
Rhythmo: (Austin, Texas): Rhythmo aims to provide a cost-effective, fun, and educational way for teenagers to start music production and STEM learning. Rhythmo’s main product, BeatBox, is a DIY cardboard MIDI drum machine kit, with built-in speakers, battery, and a bundled mobile app, to enable music-making anywhere, anytime.
Roper: (New Mexico) Roper helps ranchers boost productivity and reduce losses with a solar-powered, GPS-enabled health wearable for beef cattle.
SolGro: (Fort Worth, Texas) SolGro increases greenhouse crop yields by converting photosynthetically inactive sunlight (O,Y,G,I,V) into photosynthetic light (R,B).
teleCalm, Inc: (Allen, Texas) teleCalm’s phone service can be life-changing for seniors living at home and those in senior living. Keep your elderly loved ones connected longer and protected.
TRAXyL, Inc: (Warrenton, Virginia) Traxyl is dramatically reducing the cost of broadband communications by “painting” optical fiber onto the road surface.
