Category: Wisconsin

Pawn Shops Finally Go Digital, Helping Underbanked Find Quick Cash

In May and June, the financial industries that serve low-income Americans began to change in big ways. First, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed new rules for payday lenders. The first banned lenders from withdrawing money directly from their customers’ bank accounts, while the second restricted their ability to lend by imposing credit limits. Then … Continue reading “Pawn Shops Finally Go Digital, Helping Underbanked Find Quick Cash”

U.S. Army Awards Phoenix Nuclear Labs $3.6M in Contracts

Phoenix Nuclear Labs, which has developed particle accelerator-driven technology with applications in areas such as weapons inspections and medical imaging, said on Tuesday that it had been awarded two contracts by the U.S. Army worth a combined $3.6 million. Under the terms of the first contract, valued at $2.6 million, Monona, WI-based Phoenix will deliver to the … Continue reading “U.S. Army Awards Phoenix Nuclear Labs $3.6M in Contracts”

In Battle Between Promega and Shareholders, Linton Heads to Court

To say that Bill Linton has a long-term vision for Promega, the Fitchburg, WI-based biotech business he founded in 1978 and continues to lead as chairman and CEO, would qualify as an understatement. In 2013, he told the Isthmus newspaper that he was working to arrange a corporate structure that would allow Promega “to celebrate … Continue reading “In Battle Between Promega and Shareholders, Linton Heads to Court”

Gaining an Edge: Understanding Cyber Risk Appetite

Not long ago, companies prepared for cyber risks the way they might for a hurricane, flood, or other disaster situation: Brace for the worst, and hope for the best. Those days are over. Security breaches across industries have put cyber squarely on everybody’s risk agenda. But while they’re taking cyber threats seriously, many companies are … Continue reading “Gaining an Edge: Understanding Cyber Risk Appetite”

Biotech Roundup: Gilead Slump, Celgene Goes Trump, Hemo Data & More

Quarterly biopharma earnings added a little heat to the already high summer temperatures. Amongst several companies to report this week, the biggest news came from Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GILD]]), whose hepatitis C drugs have become some of the top revenue producers in the industry. But the company said this week that sales of Sovaldi and … Continue reading “Biotech Roundup: Gilead Slump, Celgene Goes Trump, Hemo Data & More”

Markable Downloads $1.9M For App That’s Like Shazam For Fashion

[Corrected 7/28/16 9:59 pm. See below.] Joy Tang knows models—both the algorithmic ones she helped develop while working in high-frequency stock trading for six years, and the human ones who grace magazine pages and strut along runways at fashion shows. Tang is the co-founder and CEO of Markable, a Madison, WI-based startup whose mobile app … Continue reading “Markable Downloads $1.9M For App That’s Like Shazam For Fashion”

At Big Hemophilia Meeting, More Data, and Promise, For Gene Therapy

This week’s World Federation of Hemophilia World Congress in Orlando, FL, where researchers gathered to present the latest updates in treatments for the chronic bleeding disorder, marked the latest step in a journey that dates back more than two decades for one particular treatment: gene therapy. Gene therapy provides the potential of a long-term treatment … Continue reading “At Big Hemophilia Meeting, More Data, and Promise, For Gene Therapy”

How Richard Branson and Snoop Dogg Use Social Media Vs. Social Unrest

Last month, I spent a week on Necker Island, where Richard Branson and a bunch of entrepreneurs were discussing how we could help address political upheavals, intolerance, violence, social inequality, and other issues. It’s almost like we’re in a war right now. Nations are split in half. On one side you have citizens who want … Continue reading “How Richard Branson and Snoop Dogg Use Social Media Vs. Social Unrest”

Shares in Exact Sciences Up After Company Beats Quarterly Projections

[Updated 7/26/16, 5:15 pm. See below.] Shares in Exact Sciences were up more than 28 percent on Tuesday after the company released second quarter financial results that handily beat analyst expectations. Madison, WI-based Exact (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXAS]]), whose flagship product is a stool-based DNA test for colorectal cancer known as Cologuard, said it completed about 54,000 of the … Continue reading “Shares in Exact Sciences Up After Company Beats Quarterly Projections”

Clinton Versus Trump: Who’s Stronger on Innovation?

With the Republican National Convention behind us and the Democratic convention in full swing, it seems like a good moment to ask how a Donald Trump presidency or a Hillary Clinton presidency might affect the prospects for high-tech entrepreneurship and business growth in the United States. At this stage, both candidates have given major economic … Continue reading “Clinton Versus Trump: Who’s Stronger on Innovation?”

AgriSolve Tries for Paydirt with New Soil Amendment Technology

On a farm, nothing goes to waste—not even the waste. But even though manure has value as fertilizer, it’s not valuable enough to transport far, says Roland Kessler. That’s why farmers typically keep it for their own fields. As animal operations get bigger, Kessler says, so much manure is produced that using it all as … Continue reading “AgriSolve Tries for Paydirt with New Soil Amendment Technology”

Drones, Understory, & Cellectar: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist

Catch up on news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines: —Industries as diverse as insurance, agriculture, and construction are now using drones or considering it, the Wisconsin State Journal reported. The benefits to using these unmanned flying machines include worker productivity and safety, when it comes to tasks such as inspecting wind turbines. As … Continue reading “Drones, Understory, & Cellectar: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist”

The Outbreaks Are Here, Where’s Our Response Plan?

The news of the first Zika case in Pierce County—the 14th in Washington State—reminds us that the spread of disease is inevitable. While we don’t have in our region the kind of mosquito that transmits Zika, the latest infected patient returned from a visit to Puerto Rico. Thanks to modern travel, whether by mosquitoes or … Continue reading “The Outbreaks Are Here, Where’s Our Response Plan?”

MobileIgniter to Shut Down After Five Years and Multiple Pivots

According to U.S. Census data, less than half of businesses started between 1977 and 2000 lived to celebrate their fifth birthday. Indeed, today’s entrepreneurs understand there’s no guarantee they’ll succeed. There’s even a celebratory culture around failure in some circles. But if a startup does fail, the question is what lessons can be applied to … Continue reading “MobileIgniter to Shut Down After Five Years and Multiple Pivots”

The Real Cracks in the Foundation of Ransomware

The rise of ransomware has been striking over the past two years, rapidly dominating headlines with its frequency, its wide range of victims, and its profitability. So when news hit that two of the largest and most notorious delivery systems for ransomware — the Necurs botnet and the Angler exploit kit — had gone dark, … Continue reading “The Real Cracks in the Foundation of Ransomware”

Biotech Roundup: Scangos’s Exit, Zafgen’s Shakeup, Jounce, Relypsa & More

The top news in biotech this week centers around one big job opening: the head seat at Biogen, now that George Scangos has announced plans to leave the company. Who takes the gig, and the strategic direction he or she chooses for Biogen will have implications not just for the company and its employees, but … Continue reading “Biotech Roundup: Scangos’s Exit, Zafgen’s Shakeup, Jounce, Relypsa & More”

WeDo Obtains $1,000,000 Seed Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4a4afde1-dcbc-41c0-9388-5706698a1d11 Date 7/22/2016 Company Name WeDo Mailing Address 415 E Menomonee Street Milwaukee, WI 53202 USA Company Description But, getting things done with the people around us is at the foundation of what we do everyday. And while we can’t get away from it, we can change how we interact with it. … Continue reading “WeDo Obtains $1,000,000 Seed Financing”

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals CEO on Name Change, Clinical Trial Progress

In September, Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ARWR]]) released clinical trials data showing its hepatitis B virus (HBV) candidate had significantly lower levels of antigens. Last week, Chris Anzalone, president and CEO of Arrowhead—which is based in Pasadena, CA, but houses its R&D operations in Madison, WI—presented at Cantor Fitzgerald’s annual healthcare conference in New York. Xconomy … Continue reading “Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals CEO on Name Change, Clinical Trial Progress”

Invenra Raises $3M to Develop Antibodies with, and for, Drug Makers

Madison, WI-based Invenra has raised more than $3 million from 27 investors, according to a document filed with federal securities regulators. Mark Kubik, the company’s vice president of business development, says that some of the money will go toward fulfilling agreements it’s made with drug companies, including U.K.-based Oxford BioTherapeutics, which Invenra announced it had partnered … Continue reading “Invenra Raises $3M to Develop Antibodies with, and for, Drug Makers”

Titan Spine CEO: New Medical Billing Code Will Be ‘Big Selling Point’

Last week, Mequon, WI-based Titan Spine made a pair of announcements related to its ongoing effort to commercialize a new line of surgical implants. The first: that Southlake Equity Group, a private equity firm based in Southlake, TX, had made a “substantial” investment in Titan Spine. The second: that the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid … Continue reading “Titan Spine CEO: New Medical Billing Code Will Be ‘Big Selling Point’”

Is the Future of Cybersecurity in M&A?

Last month Symantec announced its plans to buy Blue Coat for $4.7 billion. Has the consolidation—and creation of this enterprise security giant—put immense pressure on other industry players? In an ideal world, and from the perspective of a venture investor, this would absolutely be the case. In 2015, Cybersecurity startups saw 332 funding deals with … Continue reading “Is the Future of Cybersecurity in M&A?”

Kiio, HealthTech Capitol, & Exact Sciences: This Week’s WI Watchlist

Power through the dog days of summer with these recent headlines from Wisconsin’s innovation community: —Madison-based Kiio raised $227,000 in debt financing from three investors, according to an SEC filing. Kiio is developing software-enabled bands that provide resistance during rehabilitative exercises and help physical therapists gauge the strength of patients. Founded in 2011, Kiio has … Continue reading “Kiio, HealthTech Capitol, & Exact Sciences: This Week’s WI Watchlist”

Biotech Roundup: Hellos, Goodbyes, “Cures” Delays And Trial News

The week started on a reflective note. Our San Diego editor Bruce Bigelow penned a personal goodbye to entrepreneur Larry Bock, who died last week of pancreatic cancer at the age of 56. And then the news flowed, from a fast reprieve for Juno Therapeutics to no mercy for Elizabeth Holmes. There were other goodbyes: … Continue reading “Biotech Roundup: Hellos, Goodbyes, “Cures” Delays And Trial News”

Insulete Co-founder on Hopes, Challenges for Diabetes Gene Therapy

[Editor’s note: This is part of a series of stories on physicians at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics who have become full- or part-time entrepreneurs.] For almost 35 years Hans Sollinger has been searching for ways to combat Type 1 diabetes, a chronic and potentially deadly disease in which a patient’s immune system destroys the … Continue reading “Insulete Co-founder on Hopes, Challenges for Diabetes Gene Therapy”

‘Megadeals’ Dominate Q2 as VCs Invest $15.3B, and Top 10 Deals

Showing little concern for stock-market volatility or worries over the Brexit, venture capital firms pumped $15.3 billion into 961 deals across the United States during the three months that ended June 30, according to the MoneyTree Report on venture capital activity. It was the 10th consecutive quarter that venture firms put at least $10 billion … Continue reading “‘Megadeals’ Dominate Q2 as VCs Invest $15.3B, and Top 10 Deals”

Cellectar Biosciences Co-founder Jamey Weichert Stepping Down

Jamey Weichert, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Cellectar Biosciences, will be leaving the company on July 15, Cellectar said in a document filed Thursday with the SEC. Madison, WI-based Cellectar (NASDAQ: [[ticker:CLRB]]) is seeking to commercialize cancer drugs and imaging agents that would be delivered to their targets by special compounds called phospholipid ethers. … Continue reading “Cellectar Biosciences Co-founder Jamey Weichert Stepping Down”

Titan Spine Lands Funding from Texas PE Firm for Surgical Implants

[Updated 7/14/16, 5:34 pm. See below.] Mequon, WI-based Titan Spine says it’s raised a “substantial” round of funding from Southlake, TX-based Southlake Equity Group. The surgical implant maker says it will use some of the money to ramp up sales of its devices already on the market and support the launch of a new product … Continue reading “Titan Spine Lands Funding from Texas PE Firm for Surgical Implants”

Why Entrepreneurs Should Care About Inequality and Divisiveness

The horrific news of recent weeks has amplified America’s long-simmering tensions and many divisions, and cast a new and disturbing light on the nature of social and economic inequality in this economy. The shootings that targeted police officers at a peaceful protest in Dallas, which followed the officer-involved shooting deaths of Philando Castile near Minneapolis … Continue reading “Why Entrepreneurs Should Care About Inequality and Divisiveness”

How Cyber Visibility Protects Against the Abnormal & the Immoral

Another day, another breach. For many Bostonians, the “privacy incident” recently disclosed by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)—which reportedly involved the personal information of 4,300 dental patients stored by a software vendor—hit close to home in many ways, as most of us have at one time or another been to MGH for ourselves or a loved … Continue reading “How Cyber Visibility Protects Against the Abnormal & the Immoral”

From Drones to Sharing Economy, Don’t Disrupt the Disruptors

Napa Valley met the Silicon Valley at the recent Xconomy Retreat on Technology, Jobs, and Growth (aka the Napa Summit). Experts in cutting-edge technology huddled with business leaders and investors in the California wine country to explore what’s on, and just over, the technological horizon. Over the course of the two-day event, drones and the … Continue reading “From Drones to Sharing Economy, Don’t Disrupt the Disruptors”

As Drone Navigation Advances, SlantRange Focuses on Farm Analytics

As the Federal Aviation Administration sets new rules for commercial operations of unmanned aircraft, legions of new startups are using drones to perform all kinds of tasks—from aerial inspections to mapping, imaging, and analysis. Whether these new businesses can succeed will depend on a variety of factors, including restrictions on autonomous flight that government regulators … Continue reading “As Drone Navigation Advances, SlantRange Focuses on Farm Analytics”

Biotech Roundup: Fighting Addiction, Obama Precision, Juno Deaths & More

This week started with celebrations of America’s birthday, and it has been dominated—biotech-wise—by America’s government. The Obama administration continued its high-profile involvement in the life sciences by updating its Precision Medicine Initiative, easing limits on doctors who want to fight opioid addiction, and stopping a clinical trial in one of the hottest biomedical fields, cancer … Continue reading “Biotech Roundup: Fighting Addiction, Obama Precision, Juno Deaths & More”

Early-Stage Investment in WI Dipped in 2015, But Some Positive Signs

Venture capital funds and angel investors pumped $209.5 million into young Wisconsin-based startups in 2015. While that’s down from $346.2 million in 2014, that year’s total was pumped up by a single outlier, says Bram Daelemans, director of the Wisconsin Angel Network. A more positive development was the number of early-stage companies that raised investment … Continue reading “Early-Stage Investment in WI Dipped in 2015, But Some Positive Signs”

Recruitment Goal In Obama Precision Med Study: 1M in 3 or 4 Years

The Obama administration’s push to sign up one million Americans for a long-term health study will start in New York, Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Tucson, AZ, top health officials said today. National Institutes of Health director Francis Collins (pictured) and FDA commissioner Rob Califf spoke on a call this afternoon to update the Precision Medicine Initiative, … Continue reading “Recruitment Goal In Obama Precision Med Study: 1M in 3 or 4 Years”

Exact Sciences, D2P, & Bon Ami: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist

Stay plugged in on news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines: —Even though a decision from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force last month improved the outlook for Madison-based Exact Sciences (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXAS]]) and Cologuard, its stool-based DNA test for colorectal cancer, there is still disagreement about whether insurance companies will cover the … Continue reading “Exact Sciences, D2P, & Bon Ami: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist”

3 Things You (Probably) Don’t Know about Indiana Innovation

People who live outside of Indiana probably know a few things about it: The Indianapolis 500, a.k.a. “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,” is run every Memorial Day weekend; Indiana limestone was used to build the Empire State Building, the National Cathedral, and the Pentagon; and Indiana sugar cream pie is the best dessert ever. But … Continue reading “3 Things You (Probably) Don’t Know about Indiana Innovation”

IDAvatars to Move Beyond Healthcare Following Purchase of CodeBaby

Since launching in 2013, Mequon, WI-based iDAvatars has mostly focused on applications for its intelligent virtual assistant software in the healthcare industry. That will likely change following the startup’s acquisition of CodeBaby, which has developed similar technology to iDAvatars’. CodeBaby’s client roster includes some healthcare organizations, but also companies in sectors like finance, retail, and … Continue reading “IDAvatars to Move Beyond Healthcare Following Purchase of CodeBaby”

Xconomy’s Top Innovation Stories of the Half Year

Here we are at the midpoint of 2016 already. Time to look back on the past six months—and some of the top stories of the year so far. The following represent a cross-section of what Xconomy offers on a daily basis: in-depth reporting from the front lines of technology and business innovation; coverage from 11 … Continue reading “Xconomy’s Top Innovation Stories of the Half Year”

Milestones of Innovation 12: Overflight Of Russia’s Ultimate Weapons

Sixty years ago, on the Fourth of July, 1956, the American President gained a capacity that has never been lost: clear pictures from above of Russia’s thermonuclear weapons delivery system. Because the images ended up shrinking the world’s appetite for tools of ultimate destruction, it is hard to think of a more significant innovation. The … Continue reading “Milestones of Innovation 12: Overflight Of Russia’s Ultimate Weapons”

Biotech Roundup: Moonshots, Pink Slips, Gilead, Brexit & More

The word of the week was “moonshot,” as U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s cancer initiative convened a summit in Washington, DC. At the gathering, Biden took verbal shots at scofflaw cancer researchers and at drug prices, while the FDA said it would take a shot at restructuring the way it evaluates oncology products. Gilead Sciences … Continue reading “Biotech Roundup: Moonshots, Pink Slips, Gilead, Brexit & More”

Why Finance Should Take a Page Out of the Credit Card Industry’s Book

U.S. federal and financial regulators recently advised banks nationwide to assess the strength of their safeguards against cyber fraud. The warning comes after a string of cyber heists and attempted heists against banks around the world, including the $81 million theft from the Bangladesh central bank. These crimes have opened the financial industry’s eyes to … Continue reading “Why Finance Should Take a Page Out of the Credit Card Industry’s Book”

Pegasus Sustainability Solutions Obtains New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=02016caf-1fd6-46ae-9eb7-4a88f92df5f5 Date 7/1/2016 Company Name Pegasus Sustainability Solutions Mailing Address 2693 Research Park Dr. Fitchburg, WI 53711 USA Company Description Pegasus Sustainability Solutions, Inc. provides environmental sustainability and industrial ecology solutions to commercial, healthcare and industrial clients. Website http://www.pegasus-sustainability.com Transaction Type Venture Equity Transaction Amount Undisclosed Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds … Continue reading “Pegasus Sustainability Solutions Obtains New Financing”