Ten local companies were named as Greater Richmond’s Companies to Watch by The Venture Forum, a group that promotes the local entrepreneurial community.
The event, held Thursday night, highlights early stage businesses that have the potential to become significant contributors to the local economy, organizers said.
More than two dozen past Greater Richmond’s Companies to Watch award recipients have raised venture capital or had successful sales of their businesses after being selected for the award.
Those selected must have an innovative product, service or business model different from similar businesses in the same industry.
The honored were:
- Proxios, a Richmond-based company that provides information technology services to small companies and is a pioneer in “cloud” computing services.
- EbidLocal.com, which provides a marketplace to sellers operating local auctions, estate sales and local sales events.
- Marz Industries Inc., an Ashland-based company developing hydrogen fuel-cell technology designed to improve the fuel efficiency of diesel engines.
- eMommie.com, a Henrico County company that sells used or overstock maternity clothes on the Internet.
- MedCPU, a Henrico-based company that offers a transformational clinical decision support platform that delivers real-time guidance to clinicians when deviations from best practices and compliance occur.
- Handcraft Linen Services, a Richmond-based company that changed from being solely a dry cleaner to mostly handling the medical industry’s laundry, from bedding to gowns and towels.
- Urban Grid, a Richmond-based renewable energy company that specializes in the design and installation of solar panels, solar thermal systems, electric vehicle charging stations and wind energy systems.
- Unboxed Technology, a Richmond-based company that creates interactive software tools that help companies train employees, teach customers and increase productivity.
- The Pediatric Connection, a Richmond-based independent pediatric home health-care and durable medical equipment provider that specializes in caring for children with complex medical needs.
- Mobelux, a Richmond-based firm that designed original mobile applications for Tumblr, one of the most popular blogging platforms, and it develops other smartphone applications.
