Coolest Thing Made in Connecticut: Final Four

The final four is set in the 2026 Coolest Thing Made in Connecticut competition.

Semifinal voting is underway in the third annual bracket challenge celebrating Connecticut’s world-class manufacturing industry.

The public will now decide which two Connecticut-made products advance to the championship round and compete for the title.

The semifinal matchups are:

• Medtronic Hugo Robotic-Assisted Surgery System vs. The Lee Company Satellite Propellant Isolation Valve
• Waterbury Button Company Santa Claus Brass Button vs. BD Syringe 

The competition extends beyond the bracket and voting.

It gives manufacturers, their employees, and the public an opportunity to celebrate companies across the state that manufacture everything from lifesaving medical devices and satellite components to the foods and other products that improve everyday life.

Company Engagement

“We’ve had great participation from the companies themselves and their employees,” CBIA Foundation director Dustin Nord said on WTNH News 8’s CT Buzz with Natasha Lubczenko.

“They’ve been doing social media, videos, TikToks—really getting their companies engaged across the workforce. It’s been a lot of fun to follow as we’ve gone along.”

“My company has been actively voting pretty much daily,” added ASG Information Technologies’ CEO and partner Ryan Kreger.

“We have a bit of a betting pool going at the office—it’s been fun.” 

The competition also highlights how manufacturing is shaping the state’s economic future, driven in part by the growing role of technology.

“I think there’s a huge misconception about manufacturing in general and technology and its role in manufacturing,” Kreger said.

“My company works as a partner to assist all of our manufacturing clients, so they can focus on the real good work that they do.”

How to Vote

The semifinal round of voting is open through Sept. 9, with each person allowed to cast one vote per day. 

The two products advancing to the championship round will be announced Sept. 10.

The winner will be announced at the Oct. 1 Made in Connecticut: 2026 Manufacturing Summit at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford.  

The Coolest Thing Made in Connecticut is produced by the CBIA Foundation in partnership with business growth firm CONNSTEP. 

The competition is made possible through the generous support of CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, ASG Information Technologies, Medtronic, the Connecticut Office of Manufacturing, Ensign-Bickford Aerospace and Defense, and media partner WTNH News 8.

This year’s finalists were nominated by members of the public and business leaders from across Connecticut.