Author: Jeff Buchanan

Jeff formerly led Xconomy’s Seattle coverage since. Before that, he spent three years as editor of Xconomy Wisconsin, primarily covering software and biotech companies based in the Badger State. A graduate of Vanderbilt, he worked in health IT prior to being bit by the journalism bug.

BomBoard Charts New Course After the Startup Founder’s Death

BomBoard, a startup that has developed a smaller, cheaper, and modular version of the traditional jet ski, is seeking help to commercialize its flagship product following the death of founder John West. West died in early August “due to an aggressive cancer,” says Anders Stubkjaer, chief financial officer of Whitewater, WI-based BomBoard, and now also … Continue reading “BomBoard Charts New Course After the Startup Founder’s Death”

Gener8tor, Shine, Cellectar, & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist

Stay current on news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines: —Gener8tor announced the six startups chosen to receive investments and mentorship during its latest 12-week accelerator program, which kicked off last month and runs through November. The program is being run out of Gener8tor’s Milwaukee offices, and three of the companies in the … Continue reading “Gener8tor, Shine, Cellectar, & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist”

gBETA, Gener8tor’s Free Accelerator Program, Is Expanding to Detroit

Gener8tor, a Wisconsin-based organization that holds training programs for startups and invests in them, will soon hold its first program in Michigan, if its website is any indication. gBETA is a series of free, seven-week accelerator programs run by Gener8tor that help entrepreneurs with things like pitching their products, adding users and customers, and raising … Continue reading “gBETA, Gener8tor’s Free Accelerator Program, Is Expanding to Detroit”

Epic Opens App Orchard Marketplace, Helping Hospitals Share Software

Epic Systems has opened its App Orchard, a program allowing hospitals and clinics that use Epic’s patient records software to share apps they’ve built and browse third-party digital health products that have been configured to work with Epic. Sumit Rana, senior vice president of research and development at Verona, WI-based Epic, said App Orchard makes … Continue reading “Epic Opens App Orchard Marketplace, Helping Hospitals Share Software”

Epic Seeks to Join Alexa, Siri as Software You Can Chat With

Epic Systems may soon add its name to the list of companies with virtual assistant software that people can give instructions to and get information from. But those who say, ‘Hey Epic’ to initiate a man-to-machine conversation won’t be your average consumers. Instead, they’ll be doctors, nurses, and others who use the Verona, WI-based company’s … Continue reading “Epic Seeks to Join Alexa, Siri as Software You Can Chat With”

Epic CEO Judy Faulkner: No ‘Magic Wand’ For Improving Healthcare

Epic Systems may have taken inspiration for new buildings on its corporate campus from Harry Potter, but that hasn’t imbued the company with magic powers. Dressed in a wizard’s robes and hat, Judy Faulkner, founder and CEO of one of the largest makers of electronic health records (EHR) software, told a gathering of thousands of … Continue reading “Epic CEO Judy Faulkner: No ‘Magic Wand’ For Improving Healthcare”

Funding Campaign Launched After Explosion Injures Sector67 Founder

Sector67, a nonprofit “maker space” used by entrepreneurs and other residents of Madison, WI, and surrounding communities, says its founder, Chris Meyer, was seriously injured in a propane explosion last week. As a result of the incident, Meyer will be hospitalized for at least a month, according to a page on the crowdfunding site GoFundMe … Continue reading “Funding Campaign Launched After Explosion Injures Sector67 Founder”

Epic’s App Orchard Gains Traction with Hospitals, Third Parties

In February, Epic Systems formally introduced App Orchard, a program aimed at helping other healthcare software companies integrate their digital products with Epic’s tools for managing patient records. Hundreds of health systems around the world already use Verona, WI-based Epic’s software to document patient information. Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers can use the software … Continue reading “Epic’s App Orchard Gains Traction with Hospitals, Third Parties”

Q&A: UW Prof on Whether Patient Portals Are Working as Designed

The percentage of U.S. hospitals that rely entirely on paper records to document information on their patients now stands at 1 percent, down from 69 percent in 2003, according to a study published recently in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy. For more than two decades, hospitals and clinics have been working to digitize their … Continue reading “Q&A: UW Prof on Whether Patient Portals Are Working as Designed”

Eyeing a Comeback, Arrowhead Bets on New RNAi Delivery Tool

[Updated 9/20/17 4:57 p.m. See below.] Following a series of setbacks late last year, Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, one of the companies trying to develop drugs using RNA interference, has come up with a plan to try to bounce back. But to do so, it’ll have to prove it can safely and effectively deliver an RNAi therapeutic … Continue reading “Eyeing a Comeback, Arrowhead Bets on New RNAi Delivery Tool”

Amazon, EWPanel, Shine, RPRD & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist

Catch up on the latest news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines: —Municipal leaders in Milwaukee will attempt to persuade executives at the online retailing giant Amazon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMZN]]) that the city would make an ideal home for its second headquarters, or HQ2, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. Earlier this month, the Seattle-based … Continue reading “Amazon, EWPanel, Shine, RPRD & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist”

With New Software, Epic Aims to Help Patients Share Health Records

Epic Systems has long used a slogan to describe its software, which hundreds of hospitals and clinics across the globe use to manage their patients’ health records: “with the patient at the heart.” Verona, WI-based Epic is backing up that credo with a new program that would allow the 190 million people who have a … Continue reading “With New Software, Epic Aims to Help Patients Share Health Records”

Online Portals Challenge WebMD as Patients’ Source for Health Info

Suppose you wake up with a mysterious rash. Or you’ve got back pain, or have come down with a cough unlike any you’ve experienced previously. What’s your first move? Maybe you run a Google search. Maybe you text a doctor or nurse you know. Or maybe you attempt to get through your normal morning routine, … Continue reading “Online Portals Challenge WebMD as Patients’ Source for Health Info”

Redox Inks Contract with Boston Hospital to Integrate Patient Data

Since launching in 2014, Redox, a Madison, WI-based tech startup, has worked with other healthcare software companies to set up data feeds between their applications and the computerized patient records systems used in hospitals and clinics across the country. Redox has now begun selling its digital tools under a slightly different business model, where healthcare … Continue reading “Redox Inks Contract with Boston Hospital to Integrate Patient Data”

UW-Madison Researcher, Teacher and Entrepreneur Mark Cook Dies at 61

Mark Cook, a professor in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s department of animal sciences, died Saturday from cancer complications, the school said. Research conducted by Cook, as well as other students and professors in his laboratory, has led to more than 40 U.S. patents and four spinout companies, according to UW-Madison. Cook came to UW-Madison in … Continue reading “UW-Madison Researcher, Teacher and Entrepreneur Mark Cook Dies at 61”

Montage Raises $8M for Online Video Job-Interviewing Software

A 2016 report by the research firm Gallup found that millennials—people born between 1980 and 1996—are the “most likely generation to switch jobs.” Today’s young professionals’ proclivity for job-hopping is putting a strain on recruiters and human resources departments at large companies, says Kurt Heikkinen, president and CEO of Delafield, WI-based Montage Talent. “You’ve got … Continue reading “Montage Raises $8M for Online Video Job-Interviewing Software”

Fetch Rewards Raises $9.6M, Adds New App to Let Users Scan Receipts

[Updated 9/7/17 7:57 p.m. See below.] Fetch Rewards, a Madison, WI-based startup whose two mobile apps are aimed at providing discounts and rewards for buying food, beverages, and other items, has raised more than $9.6 million in equity funding. Loeb Enterprises, a New York-based investment group that focuses on the marketing and media industries, led the … Continue reading “Fetch Rewards Raises $9.6M, Adds New App to Let Users Scan Receipts”

Under New CEO, Ebullient Seeks to Put Its Cooling Tech into Vehicles

Just as the cell phones people walk around with all day have become de facto computers, automobiles too can now be seen as roving computing devices—ones that might be vulnerable to hackers, even. As cars become more high-tech—a trend that’s almost certain to accelerate with the continued development of electric and driverless vehicles—automakers will need to … Continue reading “Under New CEO, Ebullient Seeks to Put Its Cooling Tech into Vehicles”

Seiva, EatStreet, Isomark, WARF, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist

Keep up with news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines: —Seiva Technologies, a Milwaukee-based company that developed sensor-equipped athletic apparel, is no longer operating, co-founder Andrew Hampel said in an e-mail. Seiva had developed high-tech garments for speedskaters, hockey players, and other athletes. The products were designed to provide real-time information, such as … Continue reading “Seiva, EatStreet, Isomark, WARF, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist”

With New Funding in Hand, ImageMoverMD Eyes International Markets

[Corrected 9/1/17 6:04 p.m. See below.] A Middleton, WI-based startup that has built a mobile app allowing healthcare providers and patients to securely send images from their smartphones says it’s on the verge of making its first sales outside the U.S. ImageMoverMD’s software lets doctors and other clinicians photograph patients’ wounds, rashes, and other conditions … Continue reading “With New Funding in Hand, ImageMoverMD Eyes International Markets”

Gregor Joins Texas Accelerator to Advance Prostate Cancer Test

When Tobias Zutz left his job as a senior research associate at Exact Sciences in 2015, he knew he wanted his next career stop to be at a smaller organization. Zutz worked at Madison, WI-based Exact (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXAS]]), which has commercialized a stool-based DNA test for colorectal cancer, for more than five years. During his … Continue reading “Gregor Joins Texas Accelerator to Advance Prostate Cancer Test”

ImageMoverMD Snags $1.2M for App That Securely Shares Patient Photos

ImageMoverMD, a Middleton, WI-based startup developing software that securely transmits pictures and videos taken with smartphones to electronic health record systems, has raised nearly $1.2 from investors. Twenty-four investors participated in the equity funding round, according to a document filed with federal securities regulators. ImageMoverMD has now raised more than $2.7 million from investors since … Continue reading “ImageMoverMD Snags $1.2M for App That Securely Shares Patient Photos”

Smart Choice, Foxconn, JCI, Generac & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist

Stay current on news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines: —Smart Choice MRI, which is based in Chicago but has roots and dozens of employees in the Milwaukee area, raised an undisclosed amount of financing from Aurora, CO-based UCHealth, according to a BizTimes Media report. Smart Choice operates a chain of imaging centers … Continue reading “Smart Choice, Foxconn, JCI, Generac & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist”

Gener8tor Partners with UW-Madison CS Department on Mini-Accelerator

Gener8tor is bringing its latest series of training programs for entrepreneurs to Madison, WI, as part of a new partnership with the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s computer sciences department. Launched in 2012, Wisconsin-based Gener8tor coaches and invests in early-stage businesses through different types of programs. Its most recently introduced series is gALPHA, a three-week hackathon-accelerator hybrid. Gener8tor … Continue reading “Gener8tor Partners with UW-Madison CS Department on Mini-Accelerator”

WARF’s Erik Iverson Announces New VC Funds, Therapeutics Program

The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s tech transfer office plans to invest $60 million in startups affiliated with the school over the next eight years and has launched a separate $50 million initiative aimed at commercializing UW-Madison research and discoveries in human therapeutics. Erik Iverson, managing director of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation—an independent organization that manages … Continue reading “WARF’s Erik Iverson Announces New VC Funds, Therapeutics Program”

DotCom Therapy Gets Shot at Silicon Valley VCs After Pitch Contest

DotCom Therapy, a Madison, WI-based startup that has developed software allowing the dozens of therapists it employs to provide remote speech therapy services to schoolchildren, captured first place in one of Wisconsin’s more closely watched pitch competitions on Monday. The contest DotCom Therapy won was the fourth annual “Pressure Chamber,” which is put on by … Continue reading “DotCom Therapy Gets Shot at Silicon Valley VCs After Pitch Contest”

Gravy Offers Creators, Brands New Ways to Cash in on Live Web Videos

Live online broadcasting has in recent years become an increasingly crowded segment of the media. Services such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter—which acquired Periscope in 2015—compete with YouNow and other standalone offerings to get users to watch and interact with live content. Gravy Live, a Madison, WI-based startup that was formed last year but just … Continue reading “Gravy Offers Creators, Brands New Ways to Cash in on Live Web Videos”

Forward Fest, Markable, Kiio & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist

The launch of a weeklong entrepreneurship-focused conference and several new funding rounds are among these recent headlines from Wisconsin’s innovation community: —Startup founders, software geeks, investors, and others are gathering in Madison for the eighth annual Forward Fest, which kicked off Thursday and runs through Aug. 24. Click here to check out the full list … Continue reading “Forward Fest, Markable, Kiio & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist”

A Buck for a Workout? Kilter’s App Rewards Users for Hitting the Gym

It’s easy to see why customer loyalty programs have long been popular—think frequent flyer miles, cash back on credit card purchases, or working toward a free Frappuccino. Many of the best-known rewards programs are aimed at incentivizing consumers to spend more money, because that way they’ll earn more back. Madison, WI-based startup Kilter Rewards is … Continue reading “A Buck for a Workout? Kilter’s App Rewards Users for Hitting the Gym”

New gBETA Madison Class Includes Solar Electricity Startup NovoMoto

[Updated 8/14/17 11:39 p.m. See below.] Despite having a population of 77 million-plus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo only has access to only 1.3 gigawatts of electricity, says Aaron Olson, a graduate research fellow at the University of Wisconsin Fusion Technology Institute. To understand how miniscule that figure is, Olson says, consider that Madison, … Continue reading “New gBETA Madison Class Includes Solar Electricity Startup NovoMoto”

GIFs Not Enough? Snippet’s Mobile App Lets Friends Share Song Clips

When emojis and animated GIFs don’t adequately capture your mood, maybe sharing that catchy chorus from “Shape of You” by Ed Sheeran will do the trick. That’s part of the idea behind Snippet, a new startup in Wisconsin that has created software allowing people with iPhones and other iOS devices to send each other clips … Continue reading “GIFs Not Enough? Snippet’s Mobile App Lets Friends Share Song Clips”

Buoy Snags $6.7M for Chatbot, as A.I. Pushes Further Into Healthcare

While finishing up his third year at Harvard Medical School in 2013, Andrew Le started to notice a pattern. Le was working in an emergency room as part of a clinical rotation, and says that he spoke with patient after patient who had run Google searches on the symptoms they were experiencing before deciding to … Continue reading “Buoy Snags $6.7M for Chatbot, as A.I. Pushes Further Into Healthcare”

Moxe Introduces Tools to Help Health Insurers, Providers Share Data

Moxe Health has introduced a new product suite aimed at combining different types of healthcare data, which the startup says could ultimately help clinicians identify gaps in care and improve outcomes for patients. Madison, WI-based Moxe launched the suite, known as Convergence, earlier this week. It allows clinicians to pull in data from insurers while … Continue reading “Moxe Introduces Tools to Help Health Insurers, Providers Share Data”

John Biondi to Step Down as Director of UW’s Discovery to Product

[Updated 8/2/17 2:29 p.m. See below.] John Biondi, who since 2014 has directed Discovery to Product—a program that helps students, faculty, and staff at the University of Wisconsin-Madison turn ideas into companies—says he’s leaving the organization later this month. Biondi’s last day will be Aug. 31, he says in an interview with Xconomy. “We have … Continue reading “John Biondi to Step Down as Director of UW’s Discovery to Product”

CDI, Novascan, WID, 4490, & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist

Coverage and analysis of Taiwan-based Foxconn’s announcement that it will invest $10 billion to build an electronic display-making plant in Wisconsin has dominated business news around the state lately. However, there have also been numerous notable happenings apart from the Foxconn saga. Let’s catch up on some of them: —Cellular Dynamics International scrapped plans to … Continue reading “CDI, Novascan, WID, 4490, & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist”

Foxconn Deal Draws Praise, Skepticism, and Interest from Other Firms

Over the past week, business news in Wisconsin has been dominated by Taiwan-based Foxconn’s announcement that it plans to invest $10 billion to build a facility in the state’s southeastern corner—exact location still to be determined—and manufacture LCD displays for televisions and other electronics there. State officials have said the plant could employ as many … Continue reading “Foxconn Deal Draws Praise, Skepticism, and Interest from Other Firms”

Invenra Signs On With Merck in Antibody Discovery Partnership

Invenra has had success developing therapeutic antibodies for its own drug research, and for the research of others. Now the Madison, WI-based company has signed on with pharma giant Merck, which hopes Invenra’s antibody expertise can help it develop new drugs. Under the terms of the recent agreement, Invenra will discover antibodies against a target … Continue reading “Invenra Signs On With Merck in Antibody Discovery Partnership”

Foxconn to Build Plant in WI, Giving Support to Trump’s Jobs Pledges

After weeks of hints, rumors, and speculation, it’s now official: Foxconn, the world’s largest contract manufacturer, said it will invest $10 billion over the next three years to build an enormous plant in Southeastern Wisconsin and make electronics displays there. President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, and several Wisconsin politicians, including Gov. Scott Walker … Continue reading “Foxconn to Build Plant in WI, Giving Support to Trump’s Jobs Pledges”

Judge Increases Award to WARF in Apple Patent Case to $506M

A federal judge ruled earlier this week that Apple must pay an additional $272 million to the organization that manages patents and licensing of intellectual property for the University of Wisconsin-Madison for infringing one of its patents, according to court documents. The additional award follows a court ruling in October 2015 ordering Cupertino, CA-based Apple … Continue reading “Judge Increases Award to WARF in Apple Patent Case to $506M”

Wisconsin Company Offers to Put RFID Chips in Employees’ Bodies

[Updated 7/26/17 10:51 a.m. See below.] Why store information on a thumb drive when you can store it directly in your thumb? Three Square Market, a River Falls, WI-based company that helps clients equip their offices with miniature stores that offer more variety and convenience than vending machines, says it recently offered employees the opportunity … Continue reading “Wisconsin Company Offers to Put RFID Chips in Employees’ Bodies”

Exact Sciences Again Boosts Sales Projections for Flagship Product

Exact Sciences continues to raise the bar. Strong sales for Exact’s (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXAS]]) flagship product, the colorectal cancer test Cologuard, led the Madison, WI-based company to boost its 2017 revenue forecast to between $230 million and $240 million. That marks the second consecutive quarter that the company has increased sales projections for its stool-based DNA … Continue reading “Exact Sciences Again Boosts Sales Projections for Flagship Product”

Water Council, UW-Madison, Epic, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist

Stay current on news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines: —The Water Council, based in Milwaukee, unveiled the five startups in the latest class of its water tech accelerator, dubbed “Business. Research. Entrepreneurship. In Wisconsin.”—the BREW for short. Three of the companies are based in Wisconsin, one is from Canada, and one is … Continue reading “Water Council, UW-Madison, Epic, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist”

Judge Blocks Law That Imposed Restrictions on AR Game Makers

While the Pokémon Go craze has faded from many peoples’ memories, a ruling on a lawsuit brought by a company that makes similar games against a Wisconsin county could have significant implications for augmented reality application developers. On Thursday, U.S. District judge J.P Stadtmueller issued a preliminary injunction that prevents Milwaukee County from enforcing an … Continue reading “Judge Blocks Law That Imposed Restrictions on AR Game Makers”

Kiio, Defense Department Team Up to Advance Tendon Disease Tech

[Updated 7/21/17 5:40 p.m. See below.] Kiio, a developer of software and hardware to help patients understand and adhere to rehabilitative exercise programs, says it has teamed up with the U.S. Department of Defense to study and attempt to improve tendon disease treatments. Madison, WI-based Kiio says it’s working with the DoD and multiple healthcare providers … Continue reading “Kiio, Defense Department Team Up to Advance Tendon Disease Tech”

StrataGraft Skin Treatment Gets New FDA Regenerative Med Status

A regenerative medicine treatment for skin burns developed by Stratatech could make it to the market more quickly following a regulatory decision announced Tuesday. The FDA has designated StrataGraft, a Stratatech-developed sheet of living tissue made from human cells that form into skin, as a Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT), the company said. Drugs that … Continue reading “StrataGraft Skin Treatment Gets New FDA Regenerative Med Status”

Wisconsin Sizes Up Recent, Potential Future Changes in Manufacturing

When Greg Piefer founded Phoenix Nuclear Labs, in 2005, he was not expecting that it would one day lead to the construction of a large medical isotope manufacturing facility. In the dozen years it’s been operating, Monona, WI-based Phoenix has developed particle accelerator technology with applications in areas such as weapons inspection, solar cell production, … Continue reading “Wisconsin Sizes Up Recent, Potential Future Changes in Manufacturing”

Exact, Microscopy, FairSquare, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist

Keep up with the latest news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines: —Exact Sciences is evaluating two potential sites where it would house a second lab for processing results of its flagship product Cologuard, a stool-based DNA test for colorectal cancer, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. Madison-based Exact (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXAS]]) said it completed … Continue reading “Exact, Microscopy, FairSquare, & More: This Week’s WI Watchlist”