Great North Labs portfolio companies Dispatch and 2ndKitchen have claimed titles in American Inno’s 2019 Tech Madness competition. The annual competition is a tech startup, voting-based version of March Madness. And yes, it’s better than the actual thing, because if the NCAA tournament worked the same way, Duke would have won and everyone would be happy, right?
Well, maybe it’s not a perfect metaphor, but it’s all in good fun.
With over 6,000 votes cast, Dispatch took the title at Minne Inno, beating out Sezzle in the finals. Sezzle has been on fire recently, but they cooled in the contest with the scrappy last-mile delivery squad.
To make it to the title game, Dispatch had to dispatch another Great North Labs company in their Final Four matchup, Structural. It was solid basketball by both teams but after a grueling four quarters, costly injuries, and some questionable calls, it all came down to Dispatch getting more votes.
Meanwhile, in Chicago, 2ndKitchen was unstoppable. They pulled off upset after upset, until after 5 upsets, 2ndKitchen upset Chowly in the championship game. As the number 16 seed (seeds?!), every victory came against a higher-ranked opponent. Over 133,000 votes were cast in the tournament, which ended with the two high-powered food service startups in a duel for the ages. Other commentators may say it was the votes, but I’m going to say it was strong basketball fundamentals that carried this one for 2ndKitchen.
In all seriousness, this was a fun tournament, and a great way to showcase local startups. And while they may not be carrying a trophy around U.S. Bank stadium, we are still excited to see the traction demonstrated by our portfolio companies.
Congratulations to Dispatch, 2ndKitchen, and Structural!
Tweet @jdallke to find out how they determine seeds for the Tech Madness tournament, and tag @greatnorthlabs #boomgoesthedynamite if you do. If you’re looking for work, check out the hiring pages at these great companies: Dispatch, 2ndKitchen, and Structural.
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