Meet the finalists: MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition

Multi-currency debit cards. Swarms of underwater robots. Crop analytics by drone.

A survey of the eight finalists in this year’s MIT $100K Launch business plan contest shows we are deep into a computing and robotics revolution.

Finalists compete Wednesday, May 13 before an audience at MIT’s Kresge Auditorium. The contest is the third and final event of the 2014-2015 MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition, which awards more than $350,000 throughout the year, including the $100,000 grand prize. Get free tickets here.

Here’s the quick pitch from each of the eight finalists.

CurrencyDoc

CurrencyDoc issues multi-currency prepaid cards that are powered by a mobile app. It uses peer-to-peer technology that matches people with opposite currency needs and makes currency exchange convenient, transparent, and economical.

Emerald

Emerald is an elderly fall detection device that doesn't require a wearable like a pendant. The company can monitor an entire home for falls with a single device and with nearly 100 percent accuracy.

InvoPlace

InvoPlace is using technology to disrupt the factoring industry in Latin America by building an online marketplace that connects small and medium enterprises looking for access to working capital financing with institutional investors looking for attractive risk-adjusted returns.

Microswarms

Microswarms builds small underwater drones to perform large, collaborative ocean missions.

Read about Microswarms’ technology in TechCrunch, Smithsonian, and on Yahoo! News.

A Microswarms robot can move along a ship’s hull to seek out secret compartments

PanTher Therapeutics

PanTher Therapeutics is addressing the local treatment of pancreatic cancer. By changing the route of administration, the company’s technology dramatically enhances chemotherapeutic efficacy, improves quality of life, and provides cost-effective management of health care.

Follow PanTher Therapeutics on Twitter.

Quorum

Quorum is an online legislative strategy platform that provides unique quantitative insights into the U.S. Congress and changes the way that legislative professionals see, explain, and influence the legislative process.

Follow Quorum on Facebook and on Twitter. Read about the company in The Washington Post and The New York Times.

RaptorMaps

Raptor Maps builds and operates unmanned aircraft to provide crop analytics to agribusiness clients. The company spots troubled plants affected by diseases, insects, and weeds to enable focused pesticide application, increasing yields and reducing environmental impact.

The RaptorMaps team: Eddie Obropta, Nikhil Vadhavkar, and Forrest Meyen

Suono Bio

Suono Bio has developed breakthrough technology enabling rapid absorption of medication in the gastrointestinal tract. This technology will significantly improve the quality of life for patients suffering from inflammatory bowel disease and other GI disorders.