Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Innovation Marketplace during WeDC Fest featured over 80 exhibitors, including more than 30 local tech companies. The marketplace kicked off the inaugural festival that was created to bring that SXSW vibe to the District.

There were plenty of familiar faces at the marketplace (TransitScreen, FiscalNote, SEED SPOT, 1776, etc.) but here’s a few more #dctech companies on the rise that we found interesting:

Equal Reality

Equal Reality is a tech company that uses virtual reality to curate trainings for diversity and inclusion, sexual harassment, workplace bullying and unconscious bias. The company is new to the Washington, D.C. scene: cofounders Brennan Hatton and Annie Harper relocated from Australia less than a month ago after being accepted into the Halcyon Incubator for fall 2018.

Kerb Technologies

Kerb Technologies collects and measures foot traffic data for restaurants, retail, and real estate developers and brokers. Since Technical.ly DC last reported on the company, Kerb has conducted foot traffic studies in New York and has plans to scan 50+ blocks of downtown D.C. during this month. The tech company has partnered with Verizon 5G in NYC to test new technology to stream its foot-traffic services back to its servers in real time.

Paul-Julien Burg of Kerb. (Photo by Michelai Graham)

Place Tempo

This tech company uses an app to connect people with the best places to study or work remotely based on their real-time needs (like privacy, WiFi, specific seating, etc.). CEO Sarah Hostyk said the company just launched its 2.0 version at and around the University of Maryland and Georgetown University campuses, and across some other D.C. areas. Hostyk originally launched Place Tempo after relocating to the District from Boston.

Hire Her

Ruth Chandler Cook founded Hire Her, a diverse talent acquisition app. Since we last checked in with Cook, she said the app is actively being used by more than 100 people from D.C. to the U.K. Right now, employers can post jobs and potential employees can search and use the app for free. The company is currently seeking funding to continue to grow and scale its reach.