The Gray administration’s decision to establish a “technology corridor” along 7th Street NW and Georgia Avenue in February may have been geographically dubious, but its financial perks are now very real. This evening, Mayor Vince Gray announced the eight tech firms in the corridor that are the lucky recipients of city grants totaling over $800,000.

The winners, selected from more than 140 applicants, will each receive between $30,000 and $172,500 through the new Digital DC Tech Fund. It’s part of a broad tech-expansion effort that’s been a priority of Gray’s, as well as an attempt to bring a technology focus to a revitalized corridor that isn’t the natural center of technology in the city, with high-profile ventures like 1776 located elsewhere.

“The District is a city built on ideas,” Interim Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Jeff Miller said in a statement. “We are thrilled to see that tradition of intellect and innovation extending into the private sector and look forward to continuing to find creative and productive ways to support the District’s tech economy.”

Gray is making the public announcement tonight at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, but released the names of the winners to the press in advance of the event.

Here are the winners, as described in a press release from the mayor’s office:

• Aquicore: offers software designed to centralize and analyze energy management across large corporate organizations. ($122,500)
• Azert: developers of “smart” wall sockets that embed Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and temperature sensors to be placed in restaurants, apartments and corporate buildings. ($122,500)
• EventKloud: offers an easy-to-use interface that helps businesses promote events, engage users and track all event data from a single dashboard. ($97,500)
• FlexSpot: a free mobile application that optimizes off-street parking through sharing. ($47,500)
• Riide: builds and sells electric bicycles or “ebikes.” ($172,500)
• Landmark: A map app that provides visual walking directions, created by Silica Labs. ($147,500)
• Vinolovers: a personalized, subscription-based site for wine that enables global boutique wineries to ship directly to wine buyers based on customers’ preferences. ($97,500)
• MyMuzik: offers a digital device which displays two full pages of sheet music on two large screens so that music is legible for performers. ($30,000)

This post has been updated to clarify that one of the grants is to the Landmark app from Silica Labs rather than to Silica Labs itself.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery