Anne Geggis
A Miami health care company Wednesday won the state’s $40,000 innovation award aimed at providing startup companies with some rocket fuel to help get ideas off the ground.
EVQLV, which also has a New York City base, aims to use data tools to speed up the pace at which medical research becomes medicine and they’ll be getting a boost from Space Florida’s Accelerating Innovation (AI) Award that was announced at the 2022 Florida Early Stage Capital Conference in Tampa.
EVQLV’s award was given after a panel of venture capital investors considered presentations from 19 companies that had been selected from a pool of 150 applicants. Ultimately, winners were evaluated based on their ability to meet a need in the marketplace, according to officials from Space Florida, the state’s aerospace economic development agency which provides the prize money.
Novineer, a Daytona Beach-based software company, was first runner-up, awarded $30,000. Revterra Corp., from Houston, Texas, won second runner-up. That company is focused on technology to charge electric vehicles faster.
“This year’s applicants exemplify the ingenuity and forward-thinking that is essential to success in today’s business climate,” Space Florida President and CEO Frank DiBello said in a prepared statement. “The ingenuity of this year’s winners is a testament to the innovative and entrepreneurial culture we have fostered here in Florida.”
Wednesday’s competition also featured a collegiate event that awarded $5,000 to each entrepreneur. A Florida Southern College student won for OverTheShoulder, that alerts joggers if someone or something is approaching from behind. A Florida Atlantic University student won for Pet HealthCare Innovations that helps sick pets go potty.
Space Florida hosts the Early Stage Capital Conference with Florida Venture Forum, which is a 250-member organization of venture capital and private equity dealmakers. More than 1,500 companies have presented at Forum events and gone on to raise $11 billion in equity capital, which brings billions in value to Florida’s economy, according to a press release about the event.
Space Florida has been giving out the $100,000 prize money to stimulate innovation and connections with investors for eight years, twice a year, according to Space Florida officials. Its May event is called EmergingTech Showcase.
Calculum, Inc. of Miami was last year’s winner in the Early Stage Capital Conference for its platform that helps companies optimize payment terms with their partners.
