The past week’s Wisconsin innovation headlines featured a broad mix of companies in healthtech, mobile apps, life sciences, and traditional manufacturing. Read on for details.
—Executives from five Madison startups are in Silicon Valley this week meeting with five venture capital firms, including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Fishidy won a spot on the trip, organized by the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, by virtue of CEO Brian Jensen’s winning pitch at the chamber’s business conference in April. Last week, the chamber said Fishidy would be joined by Catalyze, EatStreet, MdotLabs, and Propeller Health.
—Harley-Davidson, the iconic Milwaukee-based motorcycle manufacturer, unveiled plans for an electric motorcycle. The prototype won’t hit the market for at least two years, according to the Wall Street Journal. But the announcement marks a big shift in the underlying technology of Harley’s hogs, as the 111-year-old company continues to try and evolve to reach new customers, like young urbanites.
—100health, the Madison healthtech incubator, named the six portfolio companies it will work with this summer. They are Breadcrumbs, a network of health IT experts; ICD-10 Illustrated, which sells a tongue-in-cheek coffee table book, “Struck By Orca,” as well as a deck of cards that both poke fun at some of the bizarre diagnoses in the international medical code system; Patient Proxy, which is developing software to simplify the creation of living wills and health proxies; Your Good Neighbor, which helps match patients with healthcare providers; Slant Mobility, which is developing mobile software for improving the interaction between physical therapists and patients; and EHR Alums, a network for former employees of electronic health records vendors.
—In other 100health news, the incubator said it is relocating next month from downtown Madison co-working space 100state to a new office a block away, at 111 N. Fairchild St. 100health will join 4490 Ventures and American Family Ventures in the new digs.
—Milwaukee legislation to allow Uber and Lyft to operate legally continued to move forward, passing the city’s Public Works Committee last week. It now heads to the full Common Council, the Milwaukee Business Journal reported. The ordinance would lift the cap on city taxi permits and allow city officials to conduct mandatory background checks on ride-booking services’ drivers and inspect their vehicles, the Business Journal said.
—Shine Medical Technologies, the Monona, WI, startup that intends to produce medical isotopes, could soon receive new investment and eventually build an international facility. Shine announced the signing of an agreement with PT Industri Nuklir Indonesia and IPTN North America to negotiate a possible investment by the two organizations in Shine’s proposed manufacturing facility in Janesville, WI. Shine announced plans for the Janesville operation in early 2012, but interestingly, the press release issued last week mentions the possibility of building a second Shine facility in Indonesia.
—The Doyenne Group, a Madison organization supporting women entrepreneurs, announced a pitch contest in August during Madison’s Forward Technology Festival that will award a $5,000 seed grant to the winner. Five companies owned by women will give five-minute presentations during the breakfast event on Aug. 27. (For more information and to apply, click here.)
