Category: Wisconsin

King of BIO: The Chairwoman of Biotech’s Top Trade Org Talks Policy

Rachel King is CEO of GlycoMimetics (NASDAQ: [[ticker:GLYC]]), a Gaithersburg, MD-based drug developer, and the current chairwoman of the Biotechnology Industry Organization. As a heavily regulated industry, biopharma’s interactions with politicians and policy makers are crucial, and BIO has grown in recent years to become a Washington, DC power broker. Look no further for proof … Continue reading “King of BIO: The Chairwoman of Biotech’s Top Trade Org Talks Policy”

Thalchemy Raises Seed Funds to Develop Always-on Sensor Technology

[Updated 6/25/14, 2:26 pm. See below.] Thalchemy, a Madison, WI-based startup developing technology to facilitate continuous sensory processing in smartphones and other devices, has raised $650,000 from local and out-of-state investors, Xconomy has learned. The convertible debt round was led by Wingspan Ventures of Menlo Park, CA, with participation by Madison-based Venture Investors and three … Continue reading “Thalchemy Raises Seed Funds to Develop Always-on Sensor Technology”

MVPs in Health: Minimum Viable Product or Mightily Vexing Problem?

One thing the tech software industry is great at is failing fast. This concept of “failing fast” means, at least in part, rapidly bringing a “minimum viable product” to market, even if it’s a little rocky and feature-light, and then fixing it as it gets adopted by iterating with new releases. We see this all … Continue reading “MVPs in Health: Minimum Viable Product or Mightily Vexing Problem?”

Hostad Wants to Raise MiKE Initiative’s Profile, Impact on Milwaukee

When the nonprofit Greater Milwaukee Committee formed its Innovation in Milwaukee initiative in 2011, the program was billed as a talent developer that would connect corporations and startups, and ultimately help the city transform into a hub for design and cutting-edge technology. The initiative, “MiKE” for short, came online during a time when a growing … Continue reading “Hostad Wants to Raise MiKE Initiative’s Profile, Impact on Milwaukee”

BIO 2014: Two Cities, One Economy, and a Unique Innovation Ecosystem

Editor’s note: Mary Walshok will discuss how Mexican policy is using public-private partnerships to spur biotech innovation and investment in a breakout session Thursday at the BIO 2014 convention in San Diego. —BVB One of the under-appreciated features of the San Diego innovation ecosystem is the increasing significance of its proximity to one of North … Continue reading “BIO 2014: Two Cities, One Economy, and a Unique Innovation Ecosystem”

New Wisconsin Seed Fund to Help Commercialize Alzheimer’s Research

A new $1 million seed fund will help commercialize research at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, with an initial focus on disease markers and treatments for Alzheimer’s. The fund is backed by the nonprofit Wisconsin Technology Innovation Initiative (Wi2) and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. (WEDC), which provided a matching … Continue reading “New Wisconsin Seed Fund to Help Commercialize Alzheimer’s Research”

BIO 2014: Training Bio-Entrepreneurs to Use Coffee, Yoga, and Data

Editor’s note: Court Turner was a speaker in the bootcamp for biotechnology entrepreneurship at this week’s BIO 2014 Convention in San Diego. —BVB As a venture partner at San Diego’s Avalon Ventures, I divide my work day into three distinct activities: Coffee (at the best coffee shop in San Diego); Yoga (at a studio near … Continue reading “BIO 2014: Training Bio-Entrepreneurs to Use Coffee, Yoga, and Data”

Innovation Beers: 8 Great Tasting, Low ABV Brews

Summer is (gleefully for me) upon us. As the heat rises, innovators need fuel of all types—but perhaps most especially the beer type. At least that’s the way I see it. But not all beers fit the mold, so to speak, for what I have in mind: to be innovation beers, they need to be … Continue reading “Innovation Beers: 8 Great Tasting, Low ABV Brews”

Wisconsin Roundup: 100health, Harley Electric Motorcycles, & More

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, … Continue reading “Wisconsin Roundup: 100health, Harley Electric Motorcycles, & More”

BIO 2014: Antisense and Disruptive Technologies for Drug Discovery

Editor’s note: The BIO 2014 convention begins today in San Diego. Stanley Crooke is among the speakers at a breakout session Wednesday titled Blazing New Trails in Disruptive Innovation: Stem Cells, RNA and Epigenetics-Based Therapeutics. —BVB For the past 25 years I, with my colleagues at Isis Pharmaceuticals, have persevered in the creation and validation … Continue reading “BIO 2014: Antisense and Disruptive Technologies for Drug Discovery”

Spacecraft Maker Sierra Nevada Corp. Buys Wisconsin Supplier Orbitec

Sierra Nevada Corp., which is building the Dream Chaser spacecraft in Colorado, has acquired Madison, WI-based supplier Orbital Technologies Corp. for an undisclosed price. Orbital Technologies, commonly known as Orbitec, makes rocket engines that run on environmentally friendly fuel, as well as systems that moderate temperature and humidity in spacecraft, among other products. It has … Continue reading “Spacecraft Maker Sierra Nevada Corp. Buys Wisconsin Supplier Orbitec”

Innovation Hub: Stop Listening to the Same People

How do you break out of your old mindset, in a way that will fuel innovation? Try heading to 16th-century Florence, according to Frans Johansson, the best-selling author of The Medici Effect. Johansson notes that the wealthy Medici family corralled a truly diverse set of thinkers, put them in the same place, and watched creativity … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Stop Listening to the Same People”

Pogoplug: One Service to Back Up All Your Devices

I’m a little obsessive when it comes to backups. In my Windows days, in the early 2000s, I used to make complete CD-ROM copies of my PC’s hard drive every couple of months. Until last year, I had two separate online backup services running on my Macbook Pro—Carbonite and Backblaze—along with an external hard drive … Continue reading “Pogoplug: One Service to Back Up All Your Devices”

Lessons From Serial Entrepreneur Brian Wiegand, A WI Exit Master

A lot of entrepreneurs would kill to have Brian Wiegand’s startup success rate. Three of his tech companies—BizFilings, NameProtect, and Jellyfish—achieved exits totaling $87 million, and only one—Alice—bit the dust. (Let’s give another one of his potential ventures, Edine.com, a grade of “incomplete” because it never officially launched, as he quickly pivoted to work on … Continue reading “Lessons From Serial Entrepreneur Brian Wiegand, A WI Exit Master”

Wisconsin Accelerator Enrolls Second Class of Water Tech Startups

The Water Council today revealed the second group of startups that will participate in its accelerator, as the Milwaukee-based organization continues its quest to create a water tech hub built around large local companies, university researchers, and up-and-coming ventures. Gov. Scott Walker was on hand to congratulate the graduates of last year’s pilot water tech … Continue reading “Wisconsin Accelerator Enrolls Second Class of Water Tech Startups”

Amazon’s Fire Phone: One Big Piece of a Real-World Shopping Push

Anyone who’s fallen into a wormhole of product recommendations can testify that buying things on Amazon.com is already pretty easy. With an Internet connection and a bank card, just about anything you can dream up is available around the clock, ready to be shipped to your door. But some things haven’t changed all that much … Continue reading “Amazon’s Fire Phone: One Big Piece of a Real-World Shopping Push”

BIO 2014: An Industry Surrounded by Insurmountable Opportunity

Biotech is riding the crest of a wave of public and private financial interest unparalleled in the 36-years since the founding of Genentech. Since 2012 public markets have committed $10.3 billion to more than 100 life-sciences IPOs, an industry record. Pharma has been buying/partnering with biotech on an unprecedented scale. Research breakthroughs from cancer immunotherapy … Continue reading “BIO 2014: An Industry Surrounded by Insurmountable Opportunity”

SF Biotech Venture Vet Steve Burrill Dumped by LPs, Sued for Fraud

There’s more turmoil for G. Steven Burrill, the former accountant who has run a San Francisco biotech finance group under his own name for two decades. Burrill, known for his natty suits and pink shirts, is being sued for fraud by a former colleague for allegedly taking cash meant for investment and diverting it to … Continue reading “SF Biotech Venture Vet Steve Burrill Dumped by LPs, Sued for Fraud”

“We Have to Find Our Way”: Eric Topol of Scripps on Connected Health

Eric Topol wears many hats. He is a practicing cardiologist, genomic researcher, chief academic officer of Scripps Health, and the head of the Scripps Translational Science Institute, one of more than 60 biomedical centers supported through an ambitious National Institutes of Health program created nearly 10 years ago to move basic medical research into the … Continue reading ““We Have to Find Our Way”: Eric Topol of Scripps on Connected Health”

American Family Ventures Exits Stealth Mode, Builds National Portfolio

American Family Insurance has quietly become perhaps the most active Wisconsin corporation in the local startup scene, but this week it made a splash with two high-profile announcements. The Madison, WI-based insurer’s venture capital arm participated in Chicago-based Review Trackers’ $2 million Series A funding round announced yesterday. Also yesterday, Microsoft announced a new startup … Continue reading “American Family Ventures Exits Stealth Mode, Builds National Portfolio”

Microsoft, American Family Insurance Launch Startup Accelerator

Microsoft announced a new startup accelerator today that will be housed at its headquarters outside Seattle and focused on companies innovating in home automation. Microsoft has formed a partnership with Madison, WI-based American Family Insurance, the nation’s eighth-largest provider of homeowners’ insurance (among other insurance products). Through its venture capital arm, American Family Ventures, the … Continue reading “Microsoft, American Family Insurance Launch Startup Accelerator”

Maker Faire Milwaukee

From the event organizers: “The Betty Brinn Children’s Museum and the Milwaukee Makerspace will co-host the first Maker Faire Milwaukee on September 27 and 28, 2014, in collaboration with MAKE magazine and sponsored by Brady Corporation. The free event will be held at Wisconsin State Fair Park on the same weekend as the Park’s annual … Continue reading “Maker Faire Milwaukee”

Gener8tor Grad Review Trackers Gets $2M From Wisconsin Investors

Fresh off its participation in Gener8tor’s startup accelerator program in Wisconsin, Chicago-based Review Trackers has raised $2 million in Series A funding, mostly from Badger State investors. Review Trackers, which built software to help businesses monitor and analyze what customers say about them online, previously raised $160,000 in seed money from angel investors, friends, and … Continue reading “Gener8tor Grad Review Trackers Gets $2M From Wisconsin Investors”

The Future of Work, Plus or Minus E-mail

I. Too Much of a Good Thing I’ll begin by admitting my biases. I don’t like electronic mail. In the pre-Internet days of the 1970s, when e-mail as we know it was invented, it may have been a decent solution to a certain problem—namely, the need for users logged into a single mainframe, server, or … Continue reading “The Future of Work, Plus or Minus E-mail”

Wisconsin Roundup: Wellbe, Kiio, Cellectar, RideScout, & More

Two Madison startups are raising more capital. Madison-based biotech Cellectar Biosciences intends to trade on the Nasdaq stock exchange. RideScout has entered the Wisconsin market. And Milwaukee-area electric car drivers have new charging stations. Read on for a breakdown of last week’s Wisconsin innovation and tech news. —Madison-based Wellbe has raised $425,000 in a debt … Continue reading “Wisconsin Roundup: Wellbe, Kiio, Cellectar, RideScout, & More”

Innovation Hub: Twitter’s Deb Roy Sees More Change Ahead for TV

It’s fair to say that Deb Roy is obsessed with Twitter. In 2008, he started Bluefin Labs to understand the power and influence of social media. He looked at how the public viewed political candidates, brands, and TV shows. And the data he gathered was so valuable that last year, Twitter gobbled up Bluefin, making … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Twitter’s Deb Roy Sees More Change Ahead for TV”

How I Conquered My Reading List Using Pocket

If you’re a student, a researcher, a knowledge worker, or an entrepreneur, you probably swim in ideas all day long. Like it or not, replenishing those ideas through reading is a huge part of your job. After all, it’s hard to make new knowledge without old knowledge; it’s impossible to see new connections unless you … Continue reading “How I Conquered My Reading List Using Pocket”

Madworks Seed Accelerator Aims to Polish Startups For Gener8tor

A new mini-accelerator has joined the growing list of resources for entrepreneurs in Madison, WI. Madworks Coworking at UW Campus, a pilot seed accelerator, launches next week with a $90,000 grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. Out of about 70 applicants, a group of 11 startups were accepted into the inaugural class, says Anne … Continue reading “Madworks Seed Accelerator Aims to Polish Startups For Gener8tor”

Madison’s Tech Future: 5 Ways It Could Succeed, 5 Ways It Could Fail

Silicon Valley wasn’t built overnight. Neither were smaller, newer tech startup hubs like Austin, TX, and Boulder, CO. In the Midwest, Madison, WI, hasn’t yet reached that level, but the city is gradually and quietly positioning itself to at least join the conversation. Xconomy has been closely following Madison’s aspirations to be a healthtech startup … Continue reading “Madison’s Tech Future: 5 Ways It Could Succeed, 5 Ways It Could Fail”

OTA: Most Top Websites Don’t Follow Best Security, Privacy Practices

Craig Spiezle, executive director of the Online Trust Alliance, sees online data breeches and privacy fumbles in much the same way an environmentalist might view chemical leaks or oil spills. There are the headline-grabbing catastrophes: last year’s theft of credit and debit card information from Target; this year’s Heartbleed vulnerability, for example. Then there are … Continue reading “OTA: Most Top Websites Don’t Follow Best Security, Privacy Practices”

From Crowd to Factory, Inventalator Aims to Simplify Product Creation

The process of taking an idea from a scribble on a napkin to a product on store shelves can be protracted, grueling, and expensive. Milwaukee-based Inventalator aims to make product development quicker, simpler, and cheaper with a Web platform that will combine crowdsourcing, crowdfunding, and connections to all the resources necessary to get a business … Continue reading “From Crowd to Factory, Inventalator Aims to Simplify Product Creation”

3 Takeaways From Wisconsin’s Recent Burst of VC Deals

Wisconsin entrepreneurs often lament the state’s relative lack of venture capital, but lately they’ve had plenty to smile about. In the past two weeks, there have been five major funding announcements by Badger State startups: $8.5 million for Green Bay-based Aver Informatics, $6 million for Delafield-based Montage Talent, $3.4 million for Madison-based FluGen, $3 million … Continue reading “3 Takeaways From Wisconsin’s Recent Burst of VC Deals”

Wisconsin Roundup: Apple, Epic, Gener8tor, MobCraft, & More

Last week was an especially busy one for Wisconsin’s tech and innovation community, thanks to the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference and a flurry of funding announcements. Here’s a few additional news items that might have flown under the radar: —Apple recently announced its iOS 8 software system, and a Wisconsin company will play a prominent role … Continue reading “Wisconsin Roundup: Apple, Epic, Gener8tor, MobCraft, & More”

A $15 Minimum Wage Doesn’t Have to Mean Price Increases

Last week, Seattle approved the nation’s highest minimum wage: $15 an hour, to be phased in over the next seven years. Other major cities, including San Francisco, Chicago, and New York City, are debating similar increases, and President Obama has called for an increase in the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour. … Continue reading “A $15 Minimum Wage Doesn’t Have to Mean Price Increases”

Post-IPO Biotechs Have News, But Big Pharma Drives the ASCO Boat

As often happens, industry news from the annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting, which ended Wednesday in Chicago, was dominated this year by Big Pharma. It’s not surprising—even with the advent of targeted cancer therapies that promise more precise treatment of smaller patient populations, clinical trials require big budgets. No drug giant had … Continue reading “Post-IPO Biotechs Have News, But Big Pharma Drives the ASCO Boat”

Innovation Hub: Businesses Know You’re Biased

Who’s better at math? Women or men? Studies show that both men and women believe men are better at math, even when data indicates otherwise. To understand why we have these biases—and why businesses think that getting rid of them will help the bottom line—I sat down with Harvard professor Mahzarin Banaji (pictured), the co-author … Continue reading “Innovation Hub: Businesses Know You’re Biased”

If Tesla Made Bike Lights, They’d Look Like This; The Story of Sparse

Hardware is Silicon Valley’s new religion. At maker spaces like TechShop, hardware startup accelerators like HAXLR8R and Lemnos Labs, and conferences like O’Reilly Media’s Solid, there’s one overriding article of faith: that bits and atoms aren’t so different after all. Just as the cost and complexity of starting a software company has drastically declined over … Continue reading “If Tesla Made Bike Lights, They’d Look Like This; The Story of Sparse”

Starting Unicorn Companies: Tableau Software

Last November, Ailene Lee wrote a post on TechCrunch entitled Welcome To The Unicorn Club: Learning From Billion-Dollar Startups. In it, she offered a list of companies that have had billion-dollar exits, and analyzed some of the common threads. I would like to look at some of the “unicorn” companies that she identified, as well … Continue reading “Starting Unicorn Companies: Tableau Software”

Seeds, Bees, and Startups: Scenes From The WI Entrepreneurs’ Conference

Another Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference has come and gone. The 12th annual installment, held at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, featured plenty of rock stars in the state’s innovation scene, from representatives of hot startups like Propeller Health and EatStreet, to investors like Wisconsin Investment Partners and the Golden Angels Network. Gov. Scott Walker and … Continue reading “Seeds, Bees, and Startups: Scenes From The WI Entrepreneurs’ Conference”

Montage Adds $6M to Help Clients Interview Job Seekers by Video

Montage Talent, a Delafield, WI-based provider of video interviewing technology for businesses, has raised $6 million in a Series C round that will boost product development and accelerate its growth internationally. The round was led by Beringea, a private equity firm based near Detroit, which invested $4 million. Participants included all the investors from Montage’s … Continue reading “Montage Adds $6M to Help Clients Interview Job Seekers by Video”

Not All Entrepreneurs Are Young

Most of the famous entrepreneurs we hear about are fairly young. We tend to read in the popular press about the Mark Zuckerbergs of the world and assume that all successful entrepreneurs launch businesses in their 20s. However, this couldn’t be further from reality. Recent studies show that older entrepreneurs are increasing while the number … Continue reading “Not All Entrepreneurs Are Young”

RNA Therapeutics Are Here to Stay

Over the past year, we’ve witnessed the biotech bull market expand, deflate and expand again—specifically in relation to RNA-based therapeutic companies. The innovators in the space have increased and decreased their investment levels in the technology, leaving investors, the media, and some in the scientific community wondering which way the pendulum will ultimately swing. In … Continue reading “RNA Therapeutics Are Here to Stay”

Montage Lands $6,000,000 Series C Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=c76ac1a9-024e-44e8-8a2b-65f2a0749c0d Date 6/5/2014 Company Name Montage Mailing Address 514 Wells Street Delafield, WI 53018 USA Company Description Montage Talent is a leading provider of enterprise Video Talent Acquisition solutions. We are a pioneer in the utilization of video technology to dramatically improve and optimize the hiring process for the Global 5000. Website … Continue reading “Montage Lands $6,000,000 Series C Funding”

Madison’s Elucent Medical Wins WI Governor’s Business Plan Contest

Elucent Medical’s device for improving breast cancer treatment might not hit the market for two years, but the idea and the team behind it showed enough promise to capture the grand prize in this year’s Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest. Elucent beat out 12 other finalists in the annual competition run by the Wisconsin Technology … Continue reading “Madison’s Elucent Medical Wins WI Governor’s Business Plan Contest”

PerBlue Lands $3,000,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9bf542f3-9afc-4f92-8b64-5d877e697110 Date 6/4/2014 Company Name PerBlue Mailing Address Undisclosed Madison, WI 53562 USA Company Description PerBlue is a mobile gaming company based in Madison, WI. We are a young and energetic team of engineers, artists, designers, and business specialists that was founded in 2008. Fueled with the passion to build great products … Continue reading “PerBlue Lands $3,000,000 New Financing”

Madison Startup Fishidy To Reel In More Anglers With $1.5M Series A

Fishidy, a Madison, WI-based startup that built a mapping tool and social network for anglers, has raised $1.5 million in Series A funding from angel investors. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first reported the news. Chicago-based Hyde Park Angels led the round, marking its first lead investment in a Wisconsin company, said Fishidy co-founder and CEO … Continue reading “Madison Startup Fishidy To Reel In More Anglers With $1.5M Series A”

Three Key Workplace Policies that Startups Can’t Afford to Ignore

Most startups are focused on getting their business off the ground. As a result, they usually delay policy development until a later date. But here’s why it’s important to draft and implement certain policies right at the start of your business: Policies pre-empt and prevent misunderstandings between employees and employers about obligations and behavior at … Continue reading “Three Key Workplace Policies that Startups Can’t Afford to Ignore”

Fishidy Garners $1,500,000 Series A Funding

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=b30a3238-4be3-454d-8e21-58b9b2273b8c Date 6/3/2014 Company Name Fishidy Mailing Address 8025 Excelsior Dr. Madison, WI 53717 USA Company Description Fishidy was founded by hardcore anglers who love fishing, maps and technology. We came together with a common vision to create a one-of-a-kind fishing resource to give anglers of all kinds the chance to catch … Continue reading “Fishidy Garners $1,500,000 Series A Funding”