Companies with Charleston-area ties hold seven of the 18 finalist spots in this year’s InnoVision Awards, a statewide program that has recognized innovation and technology in South Carolina since 1999.
An independent panel of out-of-state judges picked three finalists in each of six categories, and the group was announced Aug. 25 at a reception in Columbia sponsored by the S.C. Research Authority, according to InnoVision. Winners will be revealed Nov. 5 at the 28th annual awards celebration at the Thornblade Club in Greer.
Startups with Charleston ties took all three spots in the new Emerging Technology category, which recognizes products that are not yet on the market.
Comlantech Therapeutics, a Charleston biotech co-founded by MUSC researchers Devin Hatchell, Dr. Stephen Tomlinson and Dr. Ali Alawieh, is developing a medicine meant to calm dangerous inflammation after a stroke or injury only where it is needed, according to InnoVision. Charleston-based Pressiant Health’s JVPro is designed to turn a smartphone into a tool for remote heart failure exams. VASiQ Technologies, which came out of MUSC, is developing technology that uses a patient’s own physiology to guide surgical decisions in real time.
Two local companies are finalists in the Small Business category, for firms with fewer than eight employees and less than $4 million in revenue. Class Window, a Charleston startup created by a teacher, gives parents a free daily look at classroom moments. Survey Sherpa, a market research company whose website lists an office in Mount Pleasant, handles survey programming, audience sampling and data processing for research firms.
In Technology Development, Bellwether Biotech is a finalist for NanoTone, a handheld focused ultrasound system built in Charleston for preclinical research. In Technology Integration, North Charleston’s baysys was picked for software tools that integrate and automate operations in the intermodal logistics industry.
“From biotech breakthroughs to sustainable agriculture to AI-powered platforms, the 2026 finalists represent some of the most compelling innovation happening in South Carolina today,” Hunter Freeman, chairman of InnoVision Awards, said in a statement reported by SCBIZ.
The awards dinner is open to the public, with tickets sold through innovisionawards.org.
