InRFood was the tasteful choice, so to speak, of attendees at the annual Mobile Future awards event Wednesday in Washington, D.C.
The Durham-based startup which has developed a mobile app for scanning of bar codes of grocery products to determine nutritional value, took home one of four “Mobileys” as the “People’s Choice” based on popular vote.
The company is looking to start a “revolution in the way you eat, understand, select, and define food.”
InRFood and three other winners shared $20,000 in prizes.
Mobile Future is a business organization supporting the wireless and mobile industry. The awards program is designed to promote innovation in mobile.
“Mobile connectivity is clearly transforming our world and, as The Mobileys shows, the wireless revolution is equipping us with groundbreaking tools to meet virtually every challenge,” said Mobile Future Chair Jonathan Spalter. “With sharply increasing consumer demand for wireless, 2013 showed growth in mobile data usage as well as significant investment in faster networks to keep pace with consumers. There is tremendous opportunity still ahead and with the right policy climate in place, 2014 is sure to make even greater progress toward a bright mobile future.”
First place went to Page-Out from Wichita, Kansas.
HeadsUP! from Washington, D.C. placed second.
Learn with Homer from Brooklyn, N.Y., placed third.
InRFood is focused on nutritional information. With the company’s mobile app, a user can scan the bar code of a grocery store product and obtain nutritional information about that product. With more nutritional information, consumers can make healthier choices, CEO Keval Mehta says.
The company, which has been bootstrapped for the last two years, has received grant funding from NC IDEA and won the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Healthcare Innovations competition. The company is currently seeking an undisclosed amount of funding.
Mehta made his point at a recent event by walking up on stage with a box of McDonald’s french fries. The two-year old fries still looked fresh because of the preservatives in the product, he said. While InRFood makes no medical claims about its informational offering, the company has drawn the attention of health insurers and grocers alike.
Its apple is available at iTunes.
