Here’s a rundown of recent important developments in Wisconsin’s tech and innovation community:
—Shares of Madison-based Exact Sciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXAS]]) shot up to a record $26.79 on Friday after it was announced that the company’s stool DNA test for detecting colorectal cancer, Cologuard, will be covered by Medicare. The stock closed last week at $24.60 per share, up 36 percent from $18.12 per share the previous day. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must still determine pricing for their coverage of Cologuard.
—Monona-based Phoenix Nuclear Labs won a one-year, $3 million contract from the U.S. Army to build a neutron radiography device, a high-performance imaging technology that works similarly to X-ray imaging and would be used to inspect munitions and other military components. Phoenix developed a particle accelerator-based neutron generator that also has applications in medical isotope production, among other uses. In February, the startup announced a $1.15 million private funding round and its first major commercial contract, inked with a U.K.-based company.
—West Allis-based Dynamis Software has tacked $560,000 onto its seed round of equity and debt financing, which now totals $2.1 million, according to a new SEC document. The new funds came from previous investors, who include local angel investors and economic development groups, Dynamis president and CEO Andy Nunemaker told Xconomy. The startup makes software that helps health insurance brokers and employers evaluate insurance plans.
—Epic Systems, the media-shy electronic health records software giant based in Verona, has been in the limelight a lot recently. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel dug a little deeper into Epic’s collaboration with Apple on HealthKit, Apple’s new system for health apps. Meanwhile, the New York Times explored the criticism that Epic products aren’t built to share much patient information with competing software systems, even if two hospitals are just two miles away from each other.
—Manitowoc software startup Jaystreet Technologies is one of 13 new companies that were accepted into New York-based healthtech accelerator StartUp Health. Jaystreet provides software to help healthcare providers manage patient appointments. It looks like the only other company in StartUp Health’s portfolio with Wisconsin ties is Aver Informatics, which is relocating from Green Bay to Columbus, OH.
