In a standing room only theater, a dozen Austin startups, ranging from emerging companies to bigger ventures, received awards Wednesday night as part of the Austin A-List of the Hottest Startups.
The Austin Chamber, through its Innovate Austin initiative, and South by Southwest Interactive put the event on every year at ACL Live at the Moody Theater. An estimated 750 people attended the event.
A panel of independent judges reviewed about 200 companies to pick the winners in three investment stage categories: emerging, growth and scale.
“The A-List reinforces our efforts to attract funding, talent, and companies which enhances our diverse tech and innovation community,” Michele Skelding, senior vice president of Global Technology and Innovation, Austin Chamber, said in a news release. “We are delighted to recognize an exceptional portfolio of Austin’s most innovative, scalable startup companies. Innovators are a key part of our strong economic ecosystem and will continue to drive the future of Austin. Now more than ever, Austin needs to support creativity and innovation; it is instrumental in ensuring our legacy continues.”
Past winners on the Austin A-List have raised nearly $1 billion and 19 companies have had successful exits via acquisition or initial public offering.
“The Austin tech ecosystem continues to grow in quality and quantity — and this growth is again reflected by the 2016 Austin A List winners,” Hugh Forrest, Director, South by Southwest Interactive said.
In the Emerging, early/seed stage category, four companies won. They all have received funding of less than $1 million or they have revenue under $1 million: (descriptions provided by the Austin Chamber of Commerce)
Embark Veterinary – leverages the newest DNA, tech, and biotech technologies to provide owners and veterinarians the best support and facilitates individualized pet care products and services.
Factom – brings honesty and transparency to data systems using the block chain. With their tools, you can publish a mathematical proof for any event or record.
IdealSpot – a commercial real estate application that matches tenants to their ideal locations and building owners and managers to their ideal tenants by applying machine-learning, predictive algorithms to real-time market data.
re:3D – Gigabot, re:3D’s flagship technology, enables industrial strength, large format 3D printing at an affordable price point.
Six companies won in the Growth category – each received funding between $1 million to $10 million or have revenue of between $1 million and $20 million:
ESO Solutions – builds software that helps healthcare and public safety professionals improve community health through the power of data.
Firefly Space Systems – a satellite launch company that provides low-cost, high performance space launch capability for the under-served small satellite market, where secondary payload launches are often the only option.
NSS Labs – a world leading security product testing laboratory, offering in-depth security product test reports, research, and analyst services.
OJO Labs – a world class team of engineers, data scientists, product gurus, and proven entrepreneurs who are building an artificial intelligence technology that replicates, adapts, and scales human conversations.
The Zebra – a car insurance comparison marketplace and digital agency. With just a zip code and car model, drivers can shop quotes in real time from over 200 insurance companies, learn about coverage options, and secure policies.
TrendKite – helps PR professionals build a timely, highly accurate picture of their brands’ media coverage with ease.
Two companies won in the scale category for later stage companies who have received funding of $10 million or revenue of $20 million:
Civitas Learning – provides a scalable analytics infrastructure for colleges and universities to transform disconnected data into actionable insights that help every student succeed.
Modernize – connects homeowners with the best pros specializing in four areas of exterior home improvements: solar panel installations, roofing repair and installation, window replacement and HVAC solutions.
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