Mass Tech Community Votes Which Startups Most Likely to Become Next Unicorn, Develop a Cult Following, and with Whom They’d Crack a Beer

CAMBRIDGE, MA–(Marketwired – Jun 16, 2017) – The history of high technology is replete with examples of future titans that started with little more than an idea and ambition. That indominable entrepreneurial spirit was on display during the 2017 MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge (MITEF) Startup Spotlight at Hatch Fenway this week.

More than 30 exhibitors from Massachusetts and the Northeast competed for attention, pitching their vision in areas ranging from digital and physical security, pharmaceuticals and medtech, robotics and the internet of things (IoT), services for the disabled and veterans, and green energy. At the end of the evening, attendees cast their votes to decide the winners in three categories: Company I Want to Have a Beer With, Future Unicorn and Most Likely to Develop a Cult Following.

The winners were:

• Company I Want to Have a Beer With: Blink, wireless home security cameras
• Future Unicorn: Wasabi, online data storage
• Most Likely to Develop a Cult Following: Toon Crier, emotional virtual reality

In addition to the three main awards, event sponsor Withum selected digital music platform EchoMe for their 300 Miles award, representing the company they’d most like to walk with for 300 miles. The distinction is associated with Withum’s charitable Withum300 program raising money for the Withum Hardship Fund.

“Each year the MITEF Startup Spotlight gives ambitious, creative and talented startups from our region the opportunity to have fun, make connections and tell their stories to influential executive, investors and potential partners. The awards are great, but the rewards for all our exhibitors are the relationships that are established each year,” said Katja Wald, Executive Director, MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge. “Congratulations to last night’s winners; you all have bright futures in store.”

Previous Startup Spotlight winners include Dash, Ecovent Systems, Harvest Automation, Ministry of Supply, Panther Therapeutics, Pillar Technologies, Ridgewing Guitars, Voatz, Weft and WrightGrid.

The evening was made possible by sponsors Arrow Electronics, Boston New Tech, Canadian Startup Accelerator, Hamilton, Brook, Smith & Reynolds, Hatch Fenway, Sembler – Powered by Draper, Solid Founder, StartHub, and Withum Audit Tax Advisory.

About the MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge
The MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge is the founding chapter and one of 27 worldwide chapters comprising the MIT Enterprise Forum, Inc. Offering more than 40 programs and events annually that inspire innovation, MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge initiatives facilitate critical one-on-one mentoring while providing team services that increase the skills and expertise necessary for entrepreneurs to succeed.