Houwzer is excited to announce that out of 16 innovative Philadelphia-based businesses, the startup managed to come in at #2 behind the King of Prussia-based Center for Breakthrough Medicines (CBM) in this year’s Inno Madness Competition, as announced by BizJournals.
Inno Madness is a friendly, bracket-style challenge where readers vote to advance tech-enabled startups based on the question: Who would you invest in? Launching on March 2, the companies were divided into four “regions”: unicorns, life sciences, emerging growth, and up-and-comers.
This year’s tournament saw plenty of upsets. Houwzer was among the underdogs that shook up the bracket, and it looked for much of the finals like it would claim the crown. The company, helmed by CEO Mike Mayer, surged to an early lead before CBM mounted a late comeback. The margin of victory – determined by 3,766 reader votes – was 52% to 48%.
“Houwzer is a great organization. I think what they’re doing is a game-changer for real estate,” says CBM Co-founder Audrey Greenberg.
Starting as seed No.3 in the emerging growth category, Houwzer managed to move up the ranks through four weeks of voting. Winning the emerging growth bracket didn’t come as a surprise considering Houwzer recently raised an $180 million Series B, which included $18 million in equity and a $100 million line warehouse of credit to fuel the company’s rapid expansion.
This second-place win in a competitive tournament is a testament to Houwzer’s reputation as an industry innovator and speaks to the brand’s ability to cultivate a loyal fanbase out of clients, agents, friends, and family.