Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest. The contest’s overall winner was Eau Claire-based Northern Star Fire, which has developed an electronic compass designed to help firefighters find their way through—and out of—burning buildings.
—Madison-based Asto CT performed the first test of its computed tomography (CT) device for imaging animals on a live horse. CEO David Ergun said his company expects to have four to six of the machines built and ready to ship by the end of the year.
—Milwaukee-based Microbe Detectives was part of a team that analyzed puddle water on Bourbon Street in New Orleans and found it likely contained “the aftermath of some horse manure.” That’s according to a report from the New Orleans Times-Picayune, in which Microbe Detectives CEO John Tillotson is quoted. The company uses DNA sequencing to analyze samples of wastewater, well water, and drinking water to identify different types of bacteria.
—We profiled Madison-based Cellara, which is developing software for researchers who work in stem cell culture laboratories. Users of the company’s digital tools can document information such as the steps they’ve taken within a particular scientific experiment. Recording this data electronically, rather than in paper notebooks, could make it easier for scientists to collaborate and reproduce each other’s experiments, leaders at the company said.
—AARP and MedCity News named James Dias, co-founder and CEO of Wellbe, to their list of 50 healthcare leaders at organizations developing consumer-focused products. Madison-based Wellbe has created software to help guide patients through medical treatments and procedures, via a series of electronic forms, checklists, and surveys.
—The “gig” economy—a reference to the ability to earn money through on-demand services such as Uber and Airbnb—appears to be on the rise in Wisconsin. Still, not everyone in the state has a positive view of ride-hailing companies and other technology-enabled services that have entered the mainstream in recent years. Part of the debate involves the fact that many of these companies classify gig workers as independent contractors, which can limit their access to the benefits and legal protections that full-time employees enjoy.
