How to Vote for Your Favorite College Startup

Forget basketball, among young entrepreneurs, this is the only competition that matters.

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BY Inc. staff - 14 Mar 2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images

This year's crop of 16 Coolest College Startup founders are no mere college kids. Admittedly, some aren't even in college; they're in graduate school, for instance. Yet even those entrepreneurs who are still earning their bachelors' degrees are formidable. From intuiting emotions from language to resolving food shortages in the developing world, these young entrepreneurs have big goals--and even bigger plans for achieving them. Meet the latest class of top college startups--and below, see the instructions on how to vote for your top pick:

SWEET 16:

Asiya - Activewear brand leveling the playing field for Muslim women

Bacon Boxes - Creators of savory treats made from bacon

Boost Linguistics - Helps marketers engage users through artificial intelligence

Drone MVP - Connecting those with drone service needs with qualified pilots

Fair Harbor - Men's swimwear made from recycled plastic bottles

Find Your Ditto - Mobile platform for connecting those with chronic illnesses

Huk Tv Mounts - Dorm room TV and monitor mounting technology provider

KinoSol - Product solution startup aiming to eliminate food waste

Kwest - Interactive gaming app to explore cities and towns

Microcoaching - Provider of real-time video game coaching

Mira Labs - Provider of smartphone-powered augmented reality eyeglasses

RoBotany - Indoor vertical farming company transforming modern agriculture

SwineTech - Maker of swine management tools for the pork industry

Trippie - Mobile app that provides interactive maps of airports

Twine - Analytics startup that helps companies hire internally

101- Maker of Chem101, a tool for college STEM classrooms

THE RULES:

Inc.'s 2017 March Madness tournament will include four rounds of voting.

Round 1: Tuesday March 14 to Friday March 17, with 8 match-ups from which you'll pick four favorites.

Round 2: Monday March 20 to Friday March 24, with 4 match-ups.

Round 3: Monday March 27 to Friday March 31, with 2 match-ups.

Championship Round: Monday April 3, with the final 2 startups.

Winner announced: Tuesday April 4.

METHODOLOGY:

Inc.'s 16 Coolest College Startups were selected from a list of more than 100 companies from universities across North America, most nominated by schools and college entrepreneur groups including the Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organization and the Kairos Society. Criteria included originality of idea, pitch, and growth potential.