MassChallenge revealed the 128 startups participating in its 2017 accelerator program on Tuesday morning.
As usual, the list has some familiar faces for BostInno readers, including a couple that went through this year’s Techstars Boston program: Voatz, which provides a mobile-based election voting platform and OffGridBox, which aims to provide affordable energy and clean water through an all-in-one system equipped with solar panels and a water filtration system. Other MassChallenge startups covered by BostInno include Athletes of Valor, Relativity6, Skelmet and Sleepbox.
MassChallenge is a four-month startup accelerator that takes zero equity in participating startups, which have a chance to win their share of more than $1.5 million at the program’s awards gala on Nov. 2. The 2017 cohort comes from an application pool of over 1,500, which were judged by 850 serial entrepreneurs, corporate executives, investors, academics and other community members — many of whom will remain with the program as mentors, speakers and potential partners.
This is the first MassChallenge Boston cohort with its new leader, Kiki Mills Johnston, at the helm. Mills Johnston had been an early supporter of MassChallenge as the leader of MITX before moving on to startup ecosystem jobs in Austin and San Francisco. She moved back to the Boston area earlier this year when she was hired as managing director.
Since its founding in 2009, MassChallenge has expanded to Israel, Mexico, Switzerland and the U.K., with plans to expand into more regions over time. In Boston, MassChallenge is near the end of the first cohort for its new PULSE digital health accelerator while also running the Newton Innovation Center co-working space in collaboration with Cambridge Innovation Center and the city of Newton. The program also has launched its own hardware development lab.
Startups that have gone through MassChallenge programs have gone on to raise more than $2 billion in funding, generate more than $900 million in revenue and create 65,000 direct and indirect jobs, according to MassChallenge.
Here are the 128 startups in this year’s MassChallenge program (descriptions provided by MassChallenge):
Healthcare / Life Sciences
Akanocure Pharmaceuticals, Inc. — USA – Indiana — Stealth.
Alleviant Medical — USA – Texas — Develops next-generation devices to lift the burden of heart failure.
AreteX Systems — USA – New Jersey — Decreases intensive care unit (ICU) morbidity and mortality by automating critical care.
Astarte Medical Partners — USA – New Jersey — Develops NICUtrition, a microbial health informatics platform to measure and monitor the gut health of preterm infants.
Beacon — USA – Maryland — Stealth.
CareAline Products, LLC — USA – Massachusetts — Functional line and risk management garments for PICC and Central Lines.
Cellino — USA – Massachusetts — Stealth.
Day Zero Diagnostics, Inc. — USA – Massachusetts — Combining whole genome sequencing and machine learning to speed the time to diagnose an infection and call its antibiotic resistance from days to hours.
DentalTOR — USA – Massachusetts — Dental device that uses diagnostic imaging and deep learning to ease dental treatment while collecting and analyzing big data.
GEMS Boxes — USA – Massachusetts — Makes tech-enabled stations that provide high-reliability access to life-saving medications and supplies when every second counts.
General Biotechnologies — USA – Massachusetts — Biological innovation enhances the efficacy and lowers the side effects of chemo and immunotherapy in metastatic cancer.
Hive — USA – Massachusetts — Stealth.
IntuiTap Medical, Inc. — USA – Texas — Stealth.
Jane Diagnostics, Inc. — USA – Massachusetts — Offers an innovative low-cost, accurate, rapid, and easy-to-use HPV diagnostic chip for early detection of cervical cancer.
KRAM Wellness — USA – Massachusetts — Developed FLEXFIT, an innovative wellness solution developed by teens, clinically proven, and proudly assembled by individuals with disabilities.
Legionarius — USA – Massachusetts — Stealth.
MakerHealth — USA – Massachusetts — A medical prototyping OS that powers patients and clinicians with the tools to create their own medical devices.
NerveSolutions, Inc. — USA – Texas — Stealth .
NeuroLex Laboratories — USA – Georgia — Uses voice analysis to capture the early warning signs for psychiatric and neurological conditions.
Nonspec — USA – Massachusetts — Provides low-cost, durable, and hyper adjustable prosthetic devices to developing nations.
NU-RISE — Portugal — Innovating interstitial brachytherapy by providing the first in-vivo and real-time dosimeter.
Nutrimedy, Inc. — USA – Massachusetts — Novel telehealth platform that transforms disease prevention and management by matching people with Registered Dietitians.
Octagon Therapeutics — USA – Massachusetts — Stealth.
PainQx — USA – New York — Diagnostic and software company that develops processes to objectively measure pain in humans.
Pykus Therapeutics, Inc. — USA – Massachusetts — Develops a dissolvable intraocular device to make retinal surgery less painful, and more successful.
Reia — USA – Massachusetts — Stealth.
Resilience Project — USA – North Carolina — Develops a dissolvable intraocular device to make retinal surgery less painful and more successful.
Reveal Pharma —USA – Massachusetts — Stealth.
ReviveMed — USA – Massachusetts — A precision-medicine platform by translating metabolomic data.
RistCall LLC — USA – Pennsylvania.
Structured Immunity — USA – Indiana — Stealth.
SuraMedical — USA – Massachusetts — Develops a wearable device that improves the care of patients suffering from chronic leg wounds in the setting of leg edema.
TailorMed — Israel — Innovative financial management platform for chronically ill patients.
Torigen, Inc. — USA – Connecticut — Stealth.
UrSure Inc. — USA – Massachusetts — Stealth.
Veripad — USA – New York — Creates an affordable and portable solution that allows for rapid screening of medication quality.
Versatope Therapeutics Incorporated — USA – Massachusetts — Preclinical-stage biotechnology company focused on improving vaccine potency and therapeutic delivery using a “bacterial factory” nano-sized particle technology.
Z Imaging — USA – Massachusetts — Develops an augmented reality system to help surgeons operate safer and faster.
High Tech
Acenna Data — USA – Massachusetts — Helps companies selling products to scientists have more productive sales teams.
Adhark, Inc. — USA – Massachusetts — A digital marketing recommendation platform that applies data science and artificial intelligence to a brand’s digital and social media audiences, providing specific direction and insight to improve marketing performance and impact.
AirZaar Inc. — USA – Missouri — Could-based enterprise software providing image processing and data analytics to mining and construction companies.
Athletes of Valor — USA – Massachusetts — Helps servicemen and women transition into collegiate sports and later into career by providing an online platform, resources & community.
BackTracker Inc. — USA – Massachusetts — Verifies seafood claims, adds value to seafood products, and helps prevent seafood fraud.
Cadence — USA – New York — Simplifies event management allowing you to focus on what really matters: delivering engaging, impactful, memorable events
CloudBoost — India — Complete cloud platform that helps developers build apps more efficiently by taking care of authentication, notifications, and more.
CompuCog — USA – Massachusetts — Stealth.
CozyKin — USA – Massachusetts — Sharing economy for childcare that matches local families with montessori-trained nannies.
DropZone For Veterans — USA – Massachusetts — Stealth.
Endorse.gg — USA – Massachusetts — Influencer marketing for esports.
Etiquette — Mexico — A standardized designer wedding dress rental and sales platform that connects brides in a sharing economy.
Finnest — USA – Rhode Island — Helps children become financially responsible, preparing them for adulthood.
Frank – USA – Massachusetts — Stealth.
Ghamut — USA – Massachusetts — Creates and distributes intelligent technologies that understand and actively improve in-person human social relationships. Its flagship product, Connect, delivers a face-to-face social network.
Giaran — USA – Massachusetts — Simple, instant and affordable software and hardware to virtually sample makeup in real-time.
KinTrans Inc. — USA – Texas — Stealth.
Latch Mobile — USA – Massachusetts — Stealth.
Mycroft AI — USA – Missouri — Creates an open source artificial intelligence that runs anywhere and interacts like a person.
MyKidzDay LLC — USA – Massachusetts — Helps daycares communicate with parents, attract families, boosts profits, meet regulations, and reduce cost.
nDash.co — USA – Massachusetts — A content creation platform where brands receive unique content ideas from the world’s top freelance writers.
Nvstr — USA – New York — Makes data-driven investing social and enjoyable.
Oomf — USA – Massachusetts — Cloud-software platform that enables the sharing economy.
Orai — USA – Pennsylvania — Helps people improve the way they communicate using artificial intelligence.
Perseus Mirrors — USA – Massachusetts — Creates the world’s smartest mirror.
Pixm, Inc. — USA – New York — Builds an AI technology that uses visual recognition to detect zero-day phishing attacks that current tools fail to detect.
Power Assist Solutions —USA – Massachusetts — Dedicated to reducing fatigue and injury in hospital caregivers by improving patient transportation in hospitals.
Relativity6 — USA – Massachusetts — Uncovers hidden opportunities within company databases to predict which high-potential lapsed customers have a propensity to make a re-purchase.
Scansorial — USA – Massachusetts — Stealth.
The Green Line — USA – Massachusetts Online marketplace for sustainable shopping.
The Puffin — USA – Massachusetts — Enhancing lives of people with disabilities by creating assistive tech that facilitates community inclusion and employment opportunities.
Token Labs — USA – Rhode Island — Building a global peer-to-peer money transfer network.
Voatz — USA – Massachusetts — Mobile election voting platform, secured via smart biometrics, real time ID verification and the blockchain for irrefutability.
Vox Pop Labs – Canada — Uses advancements in artificial intelligence to create online spaces which foster civic engagement and democratic citizenship.
W8X —USA – Massachusetts — Develops a smart and compact weight lifting system that empowers physical therapists to help their clients recover faster.
WavePost — USA – Massachusetts — A powerful video collaboration and review tool.
Waypoint — USA – Massachusetts – Stealth.
General / Retailer / Consumer
Adeo Health Science — USA – Massachusetts — Stealth.
ADIFF — USA – New York — Humanitarian design startup that creates innovative, transformable clothing to assist refugees.
BusBot — USA – New York — Helps intercity bus companies set smarter prices and schedules.
Cancer Wellness TV — USA – Massachusetts — Free online video platform featuring cancer integrative therapies such as yoga, tai chi, meditation, nutrition, survivorship support and more.
Conweigh — Australia — The all in one container weighing solution that provides software and hardware solutions for instant legislation compliance.
Guardion — USA – Massachusetts — Stealth.
Inflight VR — Germany — Stealth.
InvisaWear —USA – New Hampshire — Creates smart jewelry that allow users to instantly contact friends, family and/or police in the event of an emergency.
John’s Crazy Socks — USA – New York — Spreading happiness through socks.
Kréyol — USA – Massachusetts — High-end women’s fashion brand that utilizes fashion as a catalyst for change and impact.
Kulisha —USA – Texas — Works with food and beverage companies to convert organic waste into a sustainable, insect protein for animal feeds.
Minus the Moo — USA – Massachusetts — Premium ice cream using all the same ingredients of traditional ice cream, with lactase enzyme to make it lactose-free.
Mundo Lanuga / Lanugo Inc. — USA – Florida — Multimedia entertainment company for underserved Latino preschool market.
MUVIN Enterprise — USA – New Jersey — Stealth.
OnRout —USA – New York — Stealth.
Props Athletics — Canada — Creating unique lines of unisex fitness accessories that are all about fitness, fashion and function.
Skelmet — USA – Massachusetts — Revolutionizes the wearables industry with 3D-fit technology that automatically measures, designs, and produces bespoke products.
Sleepbox — USA – Massachusetts — Provides modular, private and soundproof pods for public spaces for rest, nap, meditation focus or breastfeeding.
TeleLingo —USA – New York — Machine Vision-powered AI CoPilot to prevent distracted and drowsy driving for fleet managers, insurers and ride sharing companies.
The Toothpick Project — USA – Montana — Uses biocontrol technology to kill Striga, a parasitic weed depleting crops on 40 million African smallholder farms.
Tot-em — Spain — Turns soundwaves into a unique 3D figure.
Treasure Socks — USA – Massachusetts — Stealth.
Tr?badour — USA – Oklahoma — Discovery portal for vibrant, contemporary poems that blends community and curation to boost reads.
Vence Corp. — USA – California — Hardware and software solution for livestock farmers that increases revenues, eliminates fencing costs, and reduces labor expenses.
Wunder — USA – Massachusetts — Empowers women to lead active lives through a sustainable and reliable solution to incontinence.
Social Impact
Alkemy Environmental — USA – Massachusetts — Recycles industrial waste into concrete aggregate.
Amelior Technologies — USA – Massachusetts — The LAD is a device that dispenses larvicide to be placed in water containers common in South America to combat mosquito borne illnesses.
Charity Defense Council — USA – Massachusetts — Corrects misconceptions about charity and changes the way people think about changing the world.
Cocoa360 — Ghana — Non-profit that decentralizes and fast-tracks the impact of cocoa farming in rural Ghana.
Girls Health Champions — USA – Massachusetts — Stealth.
MathodiX — Israel — An assessment platform that evaluates student skills and understanding of math.
Miracle Messages —USA – California — Rebuilds social support systems for the homeless.
nesterly — USA – Massachusetts — Stealth.
OCC Youth Unleashed — USA – Massachusetts — Self-sustaining non-profit created to increase youth engagement and strengthen community centers place in the city.
Operation Code — USA – Oregon — Helps the military community learn software development, enter the tech industry, and code the future.
OZÉ — Guinea — A business insights platform for Africa’s 70 million small-and-growing businesses.
PetsEmpower.org — USA – Rhode Island — Helps domestic abuse survivors escape violent situations with their pets.
Project Lever — USA – Massachusetts — Matches students to advisors and other helpful resources to create projects of their dreams.
Roots Studio — USA – Massachusetts — Digitizes art from rural villages and creates galleries for office spaces.
ScholarJet — USA – Massachusetts — Platform that revolutionizes the scholarship process. Instead of writing essays, students will perform enriching challenges.
Skillist — USA – Massachusetts — Stealth.
Spark Technologies — USA – Massachusetts — Playground structures that convert children’s mechanical energy into electricity, creating an interactive and fun learning experience.
State of Place — USA – Massachusetts — Predictive analytics software that quantifies what people love about places and why it makes economic sense to make them better.
WorkAround — USA – Massachusetts — Online platform that connects refugees with companies to deliver online micro tasks.
Y2Y — USA – Massachusetts — Interrupts a generation of chronic homelessness by providing sanctuary from the streets and supportive pathways out of homelessness.
Energy / Clean Tech
CLEVOT — Mexico — Technology that simplifies dry cleaning and sanitization in the industry to maximize its resources and reduce its impact on the environment.
Epic CleanTec — USA – Massachusetts —Decentralizes wastewater treatment.
Lithio Storage — USA – Massachusetts — Develops flexible, self-healing, longer lasting batteries containing our patented gel electrolyte for use in wearable devices.
OffGridBox — USA – Massachusetts — Modular and compact unit that provides renewable energy and treated water in remote areas.
Peroxygen Systems Inc. — USA – Tennessee — Produces hydrogen peroxide on-site at half the cost of conventional methods.
Proper Pipe — USA – Massachusetts — Stealth.
Skyven Technologies — USA – Texas — A distributed energy solution for process heat, saving customers money by using the sun as an on-site heat source.
Upstream Tech — USA – Massachusetts — Monitors and measures freshwater resources from space with machine learning and satellite imagery.
