Hatch Product Development & Contract Manufacturing announced today that it, along with five companies it supports through product development and contract manufacturing, have been selected for the 2026 Chicago Inno Madness bracket, a competitive, bracket-style tournament featuring some of the most promising startups in the Chicago region.
The Hatch-supported companies included in this year’s bracket are:
Of the companies listed, CADDYBAR, MatFresher, Speede, and Tego are active Hatch clients, reflecting the firm’s deep involvement in helping bring innovative products to market and scale.
Organized annually by Chicago Inno, the competition features 32 companies selected through reader nominations and editorial input. Companies advance based on public voting in response to one central question: Which would you invest in?
“This is exactly why Hatch exists,” said Addison Merchut, Co-President and Founder of Hatch. “We are here to support companies as they turn ideas into real, manufacturable products and scale them successfully. Seeing so many of the teams we work alongside recognized in this year’s bracket is a strong validation of the work they are doing and the partnership behind it.”
Hatch partners with startups and growth-stage companies across industries, providing end-to-end support from concept through production. Its involvement spans hardware engineering, firmware and software development, prototyping, and contract manufacturing. The presence of multiple Hatch-supported companies in this year’s bracket highlights the firm’s role in enabling product innovation across the Chicago ecosystem.
Tego, a Hatch client, won the Inno Madness competition in 2024, underscoring the impact of strong execution and the right development partner behind high-growth companies.
Voting for the first round of Inno Madness 2026 is now open and will close at midnight on March 24. Supporters can vote once per round per IP address.
Vote for Hatch and its clients here: https://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/pulse/survey/chicago-inno-madness-2026-round-1/22657000
“As these companies gain traction and visibility, we are proud to support them behind the scenes and help them reach critical milestones,” Merchut added. “This recognition belongs to the innovators building these products, and we are honored to be part of their journey.”
About Hatch Product Development
Hatch Product Development is a global product development and manufacturing firm with the business acumen, industry network, and combined engineering experience to produce products for a wide variety of highly-regulated industries in accelerated timelines. Located just outside of Chicago with an international team, Hatch offers a full range of services to bring your product from concept to production. Comprised of a team who has over 25 years of product development and manufacturing experience and a modern top-tier vendor network, Hatch is passionate about efficiently hatching new products with passionate entrepreneurs and visionary leaders.
