Fledgling companies gathered at Posinelli Law Firm Wednesday morning with the hopes of being named one of twenty startups selected to receive a 2014 Arch Grant award.

Each winning company will receive $50,000 in non-dilutive startup funds, one year’s free rent in startup incubator T-REX, access to mentors and services, and a chance to win an Arch follow-on grant of $100,000. The only stipulation to the award is the company must move to St. Louis for one year.

This is the third year Arch Grants have been awarded, and so far nearly $2 million has been awarded to 35 companies, 32 of which are still in business, and 31 of which are still headquartered in St. Louis, according to Ginger Imster, Executive Director of Arch Grants. This year, there were 46 finalists named, representing four countries.

Both Mayor Slay and County Executive Director Charlie Dooley were on hand for the announcement. One company from Colombia and two from England are on the list of winners, and other states are represented as well, including Boston and San Francisco.

Learn more about the 2014 Arch Grant recipients:

Artifox is a free-formed design team dedicated to reinventing the way we use everyday items. We imagine our products in a world where technology and craft intersect, offering more options for consumers. Our brand is resilient and our philosophy revolves around fostering inspiration; for our products, within our employees, and to our consumers.

BetaVersity offers physical creativity labs and proprietary collaborative software for universities and high schools, enabling students to apply their skills and knowledge with hands-on prototyping and real-world problem-solving. BetaBox, a mobile creativity lab, provides top-notch, on-demand prototyping equipment and materials, from 3-D printers and laser cutters to electrical engineering supplies and speed-of-thought ideation supplies.

Blueline Security Solutions: The First Line facial recognition system software provides an affordable option for schools, businesses, and law enforcement to be able to recognize a threat, whether it be a workplace or school violence threat, a thief, fraudulent prescription violator, and many other applications. Additionally, the software has been recently upgraded to allow the facial recognition process to send an electrical impulse, allowing it to be part of an upgraded access control or payroll accounting system.

Cast: Every day, the world demands immediate answers to casual questions – which is why users have gravitated toward micro-communication tools such as Twitter, Facebook and simple text messaging to gauge social opinion. The problem is that these platforms were not created to satisfy this need and provide substandard user-experiences.

CoMo Medical is a start-up company targeting pharmaceutical aerosol applications. Engendered from the BioDesign and Innovation Program at the University of Missouri, the company and its co-founders, Kyle Rood and Clint Matthews, are dedicated to finding solutions to unmet needs in healthcare. CoMo’s first product is a novel delivery mechanism to enhance OR efficiency in ophthalmic procedures.

Dabble is a marketplace for classes. Our mission is to allow people to explore their interests in a low-commitment, enjoyable way. Through an online platform, Dabble serves to connect people offline, all in the name of learning and exploration. Classes are held in person and range across topics, from Culinary and Arts to Business and Career and everything in between.

Ephecom offers the end user two things: Hyper-targeted discounts on the products that they love, and sixty seconds to decide whether to buy or pass. We make these targeted offers by leveraging the social graph and our proprietary algorithm. For vendors, Ephecom offers a refreshing and engaging solution to their stale inventory problem as we believe that the current solution that vendors use is fundamentally flawed — they often aim to move stale inventory by the very same means that failed to move it in the first place.

FreightGrid makes shipping freight easier, faster and more affordable than ever before. We automate the manual processes for our customers saving them time and money. We allow our customers to automatically view all the rates from a list of their preferred carriers on one screen, create perfect Bills of Lading, schedule pickups and send tracking information to their customers in a matter of minutes.

Greetabl: At its most basic level, Greetabl is a greeting card that quickly folds into an adorable gift box allowing you to wrap gift cards, jewelry, treats, and more with a personal message. What it really is, though, is an experience: a fun and memorable way to connect with the important people in your life. Greetabl complements all types of gifts, from the silly to the sincere, and is made in the USA with premium, recycled materials and inspired designs.

Hyde is a sporting equipment manufacturer and the developer of the Wingman, a first of its kind inflation vest for paddlers, surfers and triathletes. Hyde created the Wingman in response to the alarming increase in swim deaths amongst triathletes and found that the device’s utility extends far beyond the sport of triathlons with mass-market appeal.

Jolt makes wearable head impact sensors for youth athletes. The sensors communicate in real-time with a connected mobile application to identify dangerous impacts. In the event of a dangerous impact, the player, coaches, and parents are notified so that the athlete can be removed from the activity for sideline evaluation. An in-app evaluation protocol identifies if the player requires additional medical attention.

Less Annoying CRM is a customer relationship manager (CRM) designed specifically for the small business market. The software focuses on simplicity and ease of use so that small businesses without IT resources can easily manage their contacts, calendar, leads, and more in a single web-based system.

Lifepack produces plates made of natural fibers (pineapple crown) and seeds that can germinate and are 100% biodegradable. After using these plates they germinate into new plants (strawberries, flowers, tomatoes and herbs) that may be used for human consumption; close to 70% of plates germinate after one week, thus contributing to the reduction of GHG emissions since they substitute polymer products such as plastic and foam.

Made for Freedom will be a fashionable retail brand and a global force for good. Our initial products are Creabeli Pants and tee shirts. The manufacturing of our uniquely designed pants will ensure dignified employment and be available to consumers through e-commerce and retail avenues.

MeterGenius is a free website that provides tools and incentives for homeowners to save money on their electricity bill. MeterGenius gives homeowners with smart meters the ability to track electricity consumption at a granular level, set goals and track their progress, compare themselves to similar neighbors, and earn points that can be redeemed for bill credits.

Nanopore Diagnostics is developing a test to end antibiotic misuse. It will determine if an infection is present, and then provide comprehensive details on the infection, in only 20 minutes. This will enable a physician, during an initial examination, to determine if an antibiotic is necessary, and what the ideal antibiotic would be.

Prattle Analytics: Utilizing advances in modern text analysis technology, Fed Playbook derives quantitative data from qualitative communications and sells this data to financial services professionals. Fed Playbook began by examining the content of all Federal Reserve communications to generate the first commercially available quantitative data about what the Fed is saying.

Tallyfy converts processes into checklists, making them user-friendly and trackable in real-time, down to the tiniest step. We prevent avoidable errors and enhances productivity with actual, measurable results (in cost).

Tuloko curates business information on minority and women-owned businesses (M/WBE) to help connect consumers, large corporations, government, agencies and educational institutions with these historically underutilized businesses (HUBs). We are a Yelp (consumer product) and Angie’s list/Linked(enterprise product) for minority and women-owned businesses.

Wondermento is a full-service technology company that develops, designs and manufactures apps and connected hardware devices. The company’s aim is to couple everyday objects with technology to create meaningful connections between consumers’ physical and digital worlds – and to help promote a happy, healthy lifestyle for all.