October 17, 2018, BOSTON – MassChallenge, a global network of zero-equity startup accelerators, tonight awarded $1 million in cash prizes to 15 of the highest-impact startups from the 2018 Boston accelerator and $500,000 to two startups in partnership with CASIS & Boeing to fund research projects on the International Space Station. New this year, PepsiCo also awarded $150,000 to two startups that are developing innovative solutions in the business services and food & beverage spaces.
In addition to celebrating the most-promising startups in Boston, the ninth-annual MassChallenge Awards also honored winners from the inaugural MassChallenge Rhode Island accelerator, which awarded shares of $50,000 to three startups.
“Everyone dreams of changing the world, but very few people actually set out to do it,” said Kiki Mills Johnston, Managing Director, MassChallenge Boston. “It’s been incredible to engage with top entrepreneurs as they develop solutions to dramatically improve our society – from the way we live to the way we work. We are proud to collaborate with the powerful innovation communities in Boston, Rhode Island, and around the world to ensure that any entrepreneur – regardless of background or industry – has the opportunity to turn their world-changing ideas into realities. Congratulations to this year’s winners and to all of the startups from our 2018 cohort!”
Held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, the 2018 MassChallenge Awards brought together more than 1,600 corporates, policy makers, and innovation enthusiasts across industries and from regions around the world. Kicking off with a showcase of more than 150 startups (128 in the Boston cohort and 30 in Rhode Island), the night also featured on-stage pitches from the accelerator’s top startups and an inspiring keynote from Stefania Mallett, Co-Founder and CEO of ezCater.
Over the course of the four-months, startups in the Boston and Rhode Island accelerators have leveraged expert mentorship, tailored programming, corporate partnerships, and industry resources to accelerate their efforts – all at zero cost and for zero equity. In addition, entrepreneurs in Boston also had the opportunity to build and refine physical products in the MADE@MassChallenge R&D lab.
To select this year’s prize winners, MassChallenge tapped the expertise of industry visionaries who evaluated each startup based on their ability to demonstrate growth and impact. To follow the accelerator journey and conversation, search the hashtag #MCAwards18.
MASSCHALLENGE RI WINNERS:
Massachusetts | High Tech
Provides aerial intelligence and analytics to the construction industry to yield time and cost efficiencies.
Rhode Island | Clean Tech
Cost effectively produces renewable, resilient power in built environments, including urban and coastal areas.
Rhode Island | High Tech
Designs and sells devices that teach children of all abilities how to read.
MASSCHALLENGE BOSTON WINNERS:
$100K Diamond Winners
Canada | Healthcare / Life Sciences
Develops novel, discreet, non-invasive neurostimulation therapies for the enormous under treated overactive bladder market.
Massachusetts | Clean Tech
Disrupts the way power plants use water by capturing and recycling evaporative losses in cooling towers.
Massachusetts | General
Lets users pack their productivity anywhere you go – whether you’re working ina. Hotel room or in a café.
Massachusetts | High Tech
Uses robots to help water pipe operators find leaks, save water, and protect infrastructure.
$75K Platinum Winners
Illinois | Healthcare / Life Sciences
Biotech company developing a novel drug to prevent kidney stones using breakthroughs in microbiome research.
Massachusetts | Healthcare / Life Sciences
Creates the Operating Room in a Backpack, protecting patients and providers any time, any place.
$50K Gold Winners
Massachusetts | High Tech
Provides user experience-as-a-service for Salesforce.com customers.
Massachusetts | General
Creating a revolutionary three-dimensionally reinforced carbon fiber composite.
Massachusetts | General
Makes household green cleaners that actually clean.
Massachusetts | General
Makes and sells brain fuel nutrition bars packed with six functional nutrients and hit the Keto + Paleo + Vegan trifecta.
Massachusetts | Social Impact
Creates magnetic markers for zero waste plastic packaging.
Massachusetts | General
Empowers media artists and businesses with a complete blockchain infrastructure to publish, license, and monetize their content directly.
Massachusetts | Healthcare / Life Sciences
Revolutionizing treatment of ear infections with minimally invasive, antifouling, drug delivery ear tube implants.
Massachusetts | Social Impact
Fills the rural education gap in Nicaragua by building, developing, and staffing robust primary schools on privately-owned coffee farms.
New York | Healthcare / Life Sciences
Provides fast, accurate, and mobile nutrition deficiency testing.
CASIS and Boeing Prize
Massachusetts | Healthcare / Life Sciences
Developing onco-selective mRNA therapeutics for cancer.
England | Healthcare / Life Sciences
Creates targeted delivery of chemotherapy with a fast time-to-market.
PepsiCo Prize
Massachusetts | General
Excites palates with authentic, delicious, and nutrient-rich beverages in hibiscus, moringa, and baobab.
Maine | Social Impact
Social app and global community connecting breastfeeding women over milk, motherhood, and the best places to nurse and pump.
About MassChallenge:
MassChallenge is a global network of zero-equity startup accelerators. Headquartered in the United States with locations in Boston, Israel, Mexico, Rhode Island, Switzerland, Texas, and the UK, MassChallenge is committed to strengthening the global innovation ecosystem by supporting high-potential startups across all industries, from anywhere in the world. To date, more than 1,500 MassChallenge alumni have raised more than $3 billion in funding, generated over $2 billion in revenue, and created over 80,000 total jobs. Learn more about MassChallenge at masschallenge.org
Top MassChallenge Boston Partners:
Altria, Autodesk, Bose, BNY Mellon, The Boston Consulting Group, The Boston Foundation, CASIS, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, CVS Health, Deshpande Foundation, Draper, FM Global, GE, GlaxoSmithKline, Henkel, Honda, Jamestown, Microsoft, MITRE, PAN Communications, PepsiCo, PTC, PwC, Stanley, Black & Decker.
MassChallenge Rhode Island Partners:
Altus Dental, Amica Mutual Insurance, Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, FM Global, Rhode Island Foundation, Verizon Foundation.