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GAINESVILLE, FL — Judges for the 17th Annual Cade Prize for Inventivity have named this year's fifteen finalists invited to compete for over $100,000 in equity-free cash prizes. Ten thousand dollars will be awarded to each category winner. Category winners will then give a live pitch presentation to compete for the Grand Prize of $50,000.
The 2026 Cade Prize for Inventivity will take place on Wednesday, October 14 at the Cade Museum for Creativity and Invention in Gainesville, Florida. Throughout the evening, finalists will mingle with attendees, showcase their innovations in an expo-style format, and meet one-on-one with the judging panel. This year's finalists, by category, include:
Environmental
Liquafilm of Cambridge, Mass. for their retrofittable, liquid-infused window screen that adheres to windows to improve indoor comfort and save energy.
NanoSieve of Miami, Fla. For their autonomous gas remediation technology that combines real-time gas remediation with gas detection to transform how industries manage flammable & toxic gas hazards and greenhouse gas emissions.
Sealor of Miami, Fla. for their subsurface nature-based limestone-forming technology that strengthens and seals and strengthens vulnerable coastal ground for seawall owners, buildings, coastal infrastructure, and low-lying communities to manage underground water and reduce flooding.
Healthcare
AMG Detection of Atlanta, Ga. for The Joey, a wearable seizure predictor that provides 10 to 45 minutes of advance warning before a seizure begins.
NEXI Biotech of Tampa, Fla. for ENGRAM, a human "brain-on-a-chip" testing platform that shows whether brain-disease drugs will work before human trials — for pharmaceutical and biotech companies developing treatments for conditions like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, epilepsy, and depression.
Parrots Medical of Orlando, Fla. for Polly, an AI-powered cognitive screening platform that detects early signs of Alzheimer's and dementia years before symptoms are obvious. It fuses at-home speech, wearable, and cognitive-game data with in-clinic EEG into a single Cognitive-Sensory Index, giving physicians, health systems, and families an affordable, scalable early-warning system for cognitive decline.
Technology
Aloft Biotechnologies of Alachua, Fla. for Float-Layer, a bubble-free gas delivery technology for growing living cells.
CloutScore of Baltimore, Md., an income analytics platform that translates fragmented digital and non-W2 income into structured, explainable signals for financial institutions.
Soltair Energy of Jupiter, Fla. for Soltair Ultra, a solar-thermal cooling solution for AI data centers.
Sports
DiveBeacon of Deland, Fla. for their face mask that provides scuba divers, firefighters and first responders with hands-free, real-time directional guidance and an automatic emergency location system.
Jump Dreams of State College, Pa. for their Automated Double Dutch Training System, a portable, battery-powered system that replaces the two human rope turners traditionally required for Double Dutch.
SurfRing of Abilene, Texas for their circular standing-wave system that continuously recirculates water to generate multiple surfing waves within a compact footprint. Designed for surf parks, sports facilities and mixed-use developments, it combines efficient hydraulic engineering with scalable infrastructure to make surfing more accessible, sustainable and commercially viable.
Wildcard
Converstation AI of Tampa, Fla. for CaseyMD, an AI-native clinical simulation platform for healthcare students and their instructors. It delivers realistic, adaptive patient and caregiver simulations across multiple clinical fields following a structured six-stage clinical workflow with immediate, evidence-based feedback.
MisTee Wants To Know of San Jose, Calif. for MisTeePRO, a handheld hair detangling tool that releases an oily steam to quickly detangle knotty, tangled hair.
Nurtured Nuts Company of Minneapolis, Minn. for producing allergen-less peanuts by removing the three clinically relevant proteins that trigger the anaphylactic shock response in people with peanut allergies.
This year, the competition received a total of 157 applications from inventors and entrepreneurs from 26 states, with affiliations ranging from research universities to private sector and technology transfer organizations. “We are thrilled to have received a record number of applications from inventors and entrepreneurs across the United States. It’s exciting to see this national competition grow and a privilege to honor Dr. Cade’s legacy through supporting great ideas at their earliest stages," said Brad Gamble, CEO of the Cade Museum.
This year’s prize is sponsored by The Community Foundation of North Central Florida, Scott R. MacKenzie, Florida High Tech Corridor, Gatorade, Cyle Sage, Lee & Associates, OneSixOne Ventures, Saliwanchik, Lloyd & Eisenschenk, NVision Strategies and Hyatt Place Downtown.
Tickets for the event are on sale now at cademuseum.org.
About
The Cade Prize for Inventivity — named after Dr. Robert Cade, lead inventor behind Gatorade — celebrates inventors and entrepreneurs, who, through an innovative invention, demonstrate a creative approach to addressing problems in their field of expertise. Learn more at cadeprize.org.
Media Contact
Julie DeCarmine, jdecarmine@cademuseum.org
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