measure viruses and other contaminants in water, was a collaboration of UW-Milwaukee environmental engineer Marcia Silva and David Rice, the founder of Rice Technology. Silva and Rice will, along with the other nine finalists in NASA’s iTech competition, demonstrate their products on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, according to the agency. NASA said it will select three winners and honor the researchers behind them at a “non-monetary awards ceremony” next month.
—NeuroPointDX, a business division of Madison-based Stemina Biomarker Discovery that concentrates on developing diagnostics for neurological disorders, is seeking to raise $50,000 or more through a crowdfunding campaign. Money raised through he campaign would support a study of NeuroPoint’s experimental autism test, which measures residues in the blood called metabolites. The company said it expects the test will become available by the end of the year.
—Northwestern Mutual, a life insurance and financial services provider headquartered in Milwaukee, will invest up to $85,000 in Socialeads, a local startup the insurer selected as the winner of a “reverse” pitch competition, BizTimes Media reported. Socialeads is reportedly developing technology that would comb through the social networks of Northwestern Mutual salespeople and suggest friends and business associates to contact. The competition kicked off in November, when leaders at Northwestern Mutual provided information to startups about areas the insurer was seeking to improve in, such as acquiring sales leads.
