the organization he’s led since July 2016. WARF plans to invest $60 million in startups affiliated with UW-Madison over the next four to eight years, Iverson said. The tech transfer organization also recently launched a separate $50 million initiative aimed at commercializing innovations in drugs and biologics by researchers and students at the school, he said.
—A Stoughton-based business called The Virtual Foundry has found a way to print metal using a standard 3D printer, the State Journal reported. That could be a key step forward because most metal 3D printers on the market today cost several thousands—if not millions—of dollars. Standard 3D printers, meanwhile, sell for about $200, according to the report. The metal filaments The Virtual Foundry sells can reportedly be fed into 3D printers to make copper and bronze objects.
—Pathogenomica, a Madison-based startup seeking to launch a product that uses pathogen DNA sequencing to detect microorganisms in a water sample, won The Doyenne Group’s annual “5 x 5 x 5” pitch contest. The Doyenne Group, which is also based in Madison and supports businesses led by women and people of color, awarded Pathogenomica a $5,000 grant for winning the competition.
—Another pitch contest held this week, the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce’s “Pressure Chamber,” was won by DotCom Therapy. The Madison-based company has developed software designed to connect certified speech language pathologists with students who require their services.
—The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel profiled Penrod Software, a company that configures customer relationship management software tools developed by San Francisco-based Salesforce (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CRM]]) to meet the needs of Penrod’s clients. The Milwaukee-based company’s revenues in 2016 were reportedly more than $5 million, and Penrod expects to double that figure this year.
—Madison-based Propeller Health, which develops hardware and software to help patients with asthma and other respiratory conditions, expanded its collaboration with U.K.-based GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: [[ticker:GSK]]). Propeller had previously agreed to develop a custom sensor for GSK’s Ellipta inhaler in 2015; the following year, the sensor (and Propeller’s software program for the Ellipta) received FDA clearance. In a press release, the companies said the expanded relationship allows them to work together to bring the inhaler to the market.
—We profiled Gravy Live, a Madison-based startup that’s developing a livestreaming platform for shows about cooking, fashion, fitness, and other topics. Gravy has unveiled a handful of its show hosts, some of whom have more than a million followers on Facebook, YouTube, and other places on the Internet people go to watch videos. Gravy co-founder Mark McGuire said two things that set his company apart from other livestreaming platforms are the production tools it offers hosts and marketing arrangements to help them make money from their content.
