Entrepreneurs can raise all the venture capital they want, but they know that in the long run, they don’t have a business without dollars flowing in from customers. For startups aiming to crack the big company market with B2B products and services, it can be challenging just to score a meeting with potential corporate customers, … Continue reading “Speed Dating: Wisconsin’s Experiment to Connect Startups, Big Boys”
Category: Wisconsin
New Napa Speakers: Kawasaki on Startups, Ashenfelter on Wine
McLuhan said that the medium is the message. Here at Xconomy, we agree, and we think it even goes for the venues we pick for our events. When we hold a big conference in a university lecture hall, the message we’re sending is: deep thoughts and nuanced arguments coming. If we gather at the campus … Continue reading “New Napa Speakers: Kawasaki on Startups, Ashenfelter on Wine”
WI-Bred Weather Startup Understory Raises $1.9M, Moves HQ to Boston
Understory, a weather data and analytics startup that moved from Madison, WI, to Boston, has raised $1.9 million in a seed funding round, the company announced today. Palo Alto, CA-based True Ventures led the round, with participation from RRE Ventures, Vegas Tech Fund, SK Ventures, and Boston entrepreneur and angel investor Andrew Payne. Understory previously … Continue reading “WI-Bred Weather Startup Understory Raises $1.9M, Moves HQ to Boston”
BioPharma Learns From Marvel, Begins Real Life Search For “X-Men”
Biopharma employees read, as you might expect, a wide spectrum of scientific journals and trade publications. What might be surprising is that their reading lists appear to have expanded recently to include classic Marvel comics. What’s led me to this conclusion? The Belgian pharmaceutical company UCB has sponsored an Innovation Challenge on the InnoCentive Website … Continue reading “BioPharma Learns From Marvel, Begins Real Life Search For “X-Men””
Milwaukee Has Startup Ecosystem Elements, Awaits Chain Reaction
Obviously the startup communities on the coasts are different than those in “flyover country” (as it is often referred to). I’d like to comment on some of the differences between two startup communities I am familiar with: Boston and Milwaukee. While I grew up in Milwaukee, I left after high school to go to MIT … Continue reading “Milwaukee Has Startup Ecosystem Elements, Awaits Chain Reaction”
Keeping Kids Safe and Beer Fresh at the Milwaukee Hardware Hackathon
There’s a word for people who can turn an air conditioner into a homebrew station, a cell phone vibration panel into a child safety device, and a coffee table into a beer fridge: hackers. Hardware hackers, to be specific, and 46 of them gathered this weekend to do that and more at the first-ever Milwaukee … Continue reading “Keeping Kids Safe and Beer Fresh at the Milwaukee Hardware Hackathon”
“Top of Rockies” Honors Xconomy’s Davidson with 2 First Place Awards
We’re proud to report this morning that one of our own has added his name to the summit log in the “Top of the Rockies” journalism competition awards, a program organized by the Colorado Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. Michael Davidson, who joined Xconomy just over a year ago as editor of … Continue reading ““Top of Rockies” Honors Xconomy’s Davidson with 2 First Place Awards”
Beauty Is Everywhere, Except On Your TV Screen. Time to Change That.
Your mother probably taught you to turn off the TV when you weren’t watching it. That made sense, back in the day: television sets used to consume a lot of juice. Today, they don’t. If you bought the largest, most electricity-guzzling flat-screen TV you could find and left it on all the time, you’d still … Continue reading “Beauty Is Everywhere, Except On Your TV Screen. Time to Change That.”
Wisconsin Roundup: BuySeasons, Uber, 96square, Nuclear Energy
Here’s a rundown of notable news items in Wisconsin’s tech and innovation community this past week: —On Monday, I featured Milwaukee serial entrepreneur Jalem Getz’s latest startup, Wantable. Meanwhile, his former company, BuySeasons, continues the CEO carousel that began when Getz left in 2010. On Tuesday, BuySeasons announced that Dev Mukherjee had stepped down and … Continue reading “Wisconsin Roundup: BuySeasons, Uber, 96square, Nuclear Energy”
Madison Healthtech Firm Vonlay Sold to Huron Consulting Group
Vonlay, one of the largest healthcare IT consulting firms in Madison, WI, will be acquired by Chicago-based Huron Consulting Group, according to an announcement today. The purchase price wasn’t disclosed. The deal is expected to close in May. Vonlay, founded in 2009 by Aaron Carlock, has 130 employees at its headquarters in Middleton, WI, near … Continue reading “Madison Healthtech Firm Vonlay Sold to Huron Consulting Group”
CorvisaCloud Receives $30,000,000 New Financing
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=bb9fabd0-5eb5-43a3-9c00-649b7b36d437 Date 4/24/2014 Company Name CorvisaCloud Mailing Address 1610 N. Second Street Milwaukee, WI 53212 USA Company Description Choosing a voice system is no small decision, which is why we promise to be here to support you at the beginning of our relationship and every day thereafter. We believe outstanding, “over the … Continue reading “CorvisaCloud Receives $30,000,000 New Financing”
Madison Economic Development, Diversity, and Leadership Summit
From the event organizer: “In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, the Madison Region Economic Partnership and the Urban League of Greater Madison host a joint event for Madison Region business and community leaders focused on economic development, diversity, and leadership. The day-long Summit will be a solution-oriented event, featuring keynote speakers Ken Salazar—former U.S. Secretary of the … Continue reading “Madison Economic Development, Diversity, and Leadership Summit”
Corporate Acquisitions of Startups: Why Do They Fail?
For decades large companies have gone shopping in Silicon Valley for startups. Lately the pressure of continuous disruption has forced them to step up the pace. More often than not the results of these acquisitions are disappointing. What can companies learn from others’ failed efforts to integrate startups into large companies? The answer – there … Continue reading “Corporate Acquisitions of Startups: Why Do They Fail?”
CorvisaCloud Gets $30M Investment From Parent Novation
Milwaukee-based cloud communications provider CorvisaCloud has received a $30 million capital infusion from parent company Novation Companies that it says will boost sales, marketing, and product development, as well as spur potential acquisitions. CorvisaCloud, founded in 2011, develops cloud-based software for customers’ contact centers. The funding announcement follows CorvisaCloud’s April 15 release of its new … Continue reading “CorvisaCloud Gets $30M Investment From Parent Novation”
U.S. 10th in Average Internet Speed Rankings, S. Korea Still No. 1
Internet connection speeds generally improved in the U.S. last year, and the country’s broadband capacity should keep getting better with new ultrafast initiatives being rolled out by network operators and local governments alike. But the average U.S. connection speed is still just 10th worldwide, and greatly lags global leader South Korea—which is creeping closer to … Continue reading “U.S. 10th in Average Internet Speed Rankings, S. Korea Still No. 1”
How To Fund a “Fat Startup”
These days, we focus a lot more on lean startups than startups that require capital to get going. The entire industry has moved away from the “fat” startup category. Investors expect that you will have your product launched, customer acquisition model fleshed out fully, and a team in place before Series A. However, infrastructure software, … Continue reading “How To Fund a “Fat Startup””
The Good Jobs Snags $350K To Help Companies Promote Culture
[Updated 4/22/14, 1:13 p.m., to include executives’ full titles.] Milwaukee startup The Good Jobs has secured $350,000 in funding that will allow it to expand staff and step up marketing for its Web tools that help companies showcase their office culture to jobseekers. The funding includes $180,000 from investors, led by Oshkosh, WI-based Angels on … Continue reading “The Good Jobs Snags $350K To Help Companies Promote Culture”
A Big Day for Xconomy: Introducing Elise Craig and Alex Lash
At a growing media startup like Xconomy, there’s no task more thrilling than welcoming new editors and writers on board. Today is especially exciting, because I’ve got not one but two additions to tell you about. First, I’m extremely pleased to announce that Elise Craig has joined us as the new Editor of Xconomy San … Continue reading “A Big Day for Xconomy: Introducing Elise Craig and Alex Lash”
Jalem Getz’s Latest Retail Startup Wantable Targets Women, Fast Growth
Milwaukee serial entrepreneur Jalem Getz swore he was done with companies that sell widgets back in 2010, after he left BuySeasons, the online retailer and distributor of costumes and party supplies that he co-founded in 1999 and helped grow to $170 million in annual revenue. But he has returned to the ecommerce startup world with … Continue reading “Jalem Getz’s Latest Retail Startup Wantable Targets Women, Fast Growth”
Minerva’s Plan to Disrupt Universities: A Talk with CEO Ben Nelson
[Updated, see below] Traditional four-year universities have always had to compete for students. They’re vying not only against each other, but against community colleges, the military, online institutions like University of Phoenix, and, in an age of increasing economic pressure on the middle class, the work world. (Some 34 percent of U.S. high school graduates … Continue reading “Minerva’s Plan to Disrupt Universities: A Talk with CEO Ben Nelson”
From Pirates to Basketball, Aulet’s Entrepreneurship Lessons for WI
[Updated 4/18/14, 12:01 p.m., to include a link to Aulet’s PowerPoint presentation.] What do pirates, Navy SEALs, rabbits, and street basketball have in common? Entrepreneurship, it turns out. Those were some of the analogies made by Boston-area entrepreneur Bill Aulet in speeches Thursday to groups of more than 50 people in Madison and Milwaukee. Aulet … Continue reading “From Pirates to Basketball, Aulet’s Entrepreneurship Lessons for WI”
First-Quarter Venture Funding at $9.6B in U.S., Highest Since 2001
Right out of the gate, venture capital funding surged nationwide during the first three months of 2014—driven largely by substantial investments in expansion-stage IT and software companies, according to the MoneyTree Report being released today. Eight of the ten biggest deals involved IT, software, or Web companies based in Northern California. (The top 10 deal … Continue reading “First-Quarter Venture Funding at $9.6B in U.S., Highest Since 2001”
Abodo Obtains $945,000 New Funding
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=5db7e299-7bce-4c69-ba93-e00403a6f832 Date 4/18/2014 Company Name Abodo Mailing Address 131 W Wilson St. Madison, WI 53703 USA Company Description We founded Abodo.com in January 2011 for a simple reason: apartment hunting in Madison just plain sucked. As UW students and then recent graduates with more than 10 Madison apartment hunts between us, we … Continue reading “Abodo Obtains $945,000 New Funding”
How I Raised Seed Capital from a Sand Hill Road VC in 24 Hours
Much to many entrepreneurs’ chagrin, having an idea is not enough to start a company. Being able to fundraise is just as important as the big idea. I’ve been very frank in sharing how one of my startup companies failed because I did not have sufficient funding to compete, so I know how long and … Continue reading “How I Raised Seed Capital from a Sand Hill Road VC in 24 Hours”
Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference
From the event organizer: “The conference is one of the Midwest’s premiere “how-to,” hands-on events for entrepreneurs of all ages and experience levels. Attendees range from ‘treps who are still developing their ideas to emerging company leaders who have already attracted angel and/or venture funding. These businesses cover a broad span of categories, from information … Continue reading “Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference”
Wearing Two Hats, Resnick Pushes Tech Issues on Madison Council
Scott Resnick’s appearance doesn’t exactly scream “politician.” On this particular afternoon, the 27-year-old is seated comfortably in the conference room of his software company’s office overlooking Lake Mendota in Madison, WI. He is wearing a collared shirt with blue, grey, and magenta stripes, along with tan pants. No suit, no tie, no problem. Anything above … Continue reading “Wearing Two Hats, Resnick Pushes Tech Issues on Madison Council”
Office on iPad: Reports of its Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
The day that iPad users and Microsoft Office suite lovers have been waiting for has finally arrived. Now the fate of dozens of third-party applications like Prezi and SlideShark hang in the balance. In a break with tradition, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced the release of Office iPad on March 27. Under former CEO Steve … Continue reading “Office on iPad: Reports of its Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated”
Drones, Oculus, WhatsApp & the Future of Communication
[Corrected 4/14/14, 6:13 pm. See below.] Facebook is aiming to become a telco. Drones are the towers. Oculus are the phones. WhatsApp is the service. Twenty-one billion dollars is cheap for a next-generation telco. There is more behind the WhatsApp and Oculus deals than the apparent need to bring teens and gamers under Facebook’s fold. Facebook and … Continue reading “Drones, Oculus, WhatsApp & the Future of Communication”
They Still Call it Telemedicine? Tracking the Evolution of HealthIT.
Recently, the Houston Technology Center asked me to join a panel discussion on “The Future of Telemedicine” at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. I was a bit surprised as I’ve never thought of myself as being part of the telemedicine industry. My business partner, Bryan Haardt, and I last year co-founded Decisio Health to sell software … Continue reading “They Still Call it Telemedicine? Tracking the Evolution of HealthIT.”
D2P’s Biondi On Getting UW-Madison More for its ($1.2B) R&D Money
[Corrected 12/17/15, 11:34 a.m. See below.] University of Wisconsin-Madison is one of the top-spending schools when it comes to research, but university administrators think its faculty and students could use a boost to turn their ideas into thriving companies. That’s the mandate for Discovery to Product (D2P), a new campus initiative that aims to hike … Continue reading “D2P’s Biondi On Getting UW-Madison More for its ($1.2B) R&D Money”
Venture-Backed IPOs & Late-Stage Investments Surged in Q1
Venture capitalists saw the public markets awaken in the first quarter, and they’re betting the trend will continue. A new report from New York-based venture capital research firm CB Insights counts 35 venture-backed IPOs through the end of March, more than any single quarter since the fall of 2000. Mergers and acquisitions were also strong, … Continue reading “Venture-Backed IPOs & Late-Stage Investments Surged in Q1”
MIT’s Bill Aulet: Wisconsin Can Benefit From Being Off ‘Beaten Track’
Innovation can come from anywhere, and there might be some advantages for Wisconsin being located in what is sometimes derisively called flyover country. Those are two thoughts shared with me recently by Boston-area entrepreneur Bill Aulet, managing director of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship and author of a top-selling book published last year … Continue reading “MIT’s Bill Aulet: Wisconsin Can Benefit From Being Off ‘Beaten Track’”
State-Level Equity Crowdfunding: The Next Big Thing
Just a few weeks ago, Facebook’s surprise $2 billion purchase of virtual reality headset developer Oculus riled up some of the startup’s earliest financial backers, who said they got a raw deal while the founders got rich. We’re talking about pre-order backers on Kickstarter here, not investors. But if new equity crowdfunding rules had been … Continue reading “State-Level Equity Crowdfunding: The Next Big Thing”
Wisconsin Startup Fishidy Wins Chance to Pitch Silicon Valley VCs
Fishidy, a Madison, WI-based startup that built a mapping tool and social network for fishing enthusiasts, will get a face-to-face meeting with Silicon Valley venture capitalists this summer, thanks to its winning pitch Tuesday at a Madison business conference. Fishidy was one of six Madison-area startups that presented to a crowd of about 250 people … Continue reading “Wisconsin Startup Fishidy Wins Chance to Pitch Silicon Valley VCs”
The Rise of the “People’s Web”
Silicon Valley is one of the most dynamic engines of capitalism the world has ever seen. For decades, technology providers focused on creating cutting-edge hardware and software designed to optimize efficiency, productivity, and data-based knowledge for large corporations. But today, many technology innovators are also working hard to level the playing field by providing individual … Continue reading “The Rise of the “People’s Web””
Kauffman Study: Weaker Entrepreneurship Spells Stronger Job Market
The U.S. saw slightly fewer businesses created last year, but there’s a silver lining: the poorer numbers nationwide likely indicate that a stronger job market relieved some of the pressure on people to start companies out of necessity. That’s among the takeaways from the latest Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity, an annual study from the … Continue reading “Kauffman Study: Weaker Entrepreneurship Spells Stronger Job Market”
Announcing Napa Summit 2014: Get An Invite to Xconomy’s Elite Confab
For the past two years, Xconomy has held an invitation-only event in the heart of California wine country with a general focus on the economy, emerging technology, competitiveness, and jobs—and spanning the range of topics we cover, from information technology to life sciences, healthcare, energy, cybersecurity, food, and much more (read on). We convene some … Continue reading “Announcing Napa Summit 2014: Get An Invite to Xconomy’s Elite Confab”
Wisconsin Restaurant Ordering Platform EatStreet Closes $6M Series B
EatStreet has closed a $6 million Series B funding round that it says will help the Madison, WI-based online restaurant ordering platform double its staff and expand to more than 15,000 restaurants in 150 cities by the end of the year. TechCrunch first reported the Series B raise. Xconomy reported in February that EatStreet had … Continue reading “Wisconsin Restaurant Ordering Platform EatStreet Closes $6M Series B”
Wisconsin Roundup: Startup Weekend, Exact Sciences, 3D Printing
Last week was a busy one for Wisconsin’s tech and innovation community. Here are a few notable items you might have missed: —Madison, WI, held its third annual Startup Weekend, in which participants form teams and embark on a “54-hour frenzy of business model creation, coding, designing, and market validation.” Startup Weekend Madison judge Troy … Continue reading “Wisconsin Roundup: Startup Weekend, Exact Sciences, 3D Printing”
Crowdfunding Startups: Opportunities and Bottlenecks
There has been a bit of action for a while now in the crowdfunding world, and certain startups have been able to get themselves off the ground using Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and similar sites. By and large, these types of financings have gone to companies that are building physical products, digital games, and the like. Fundings … Continue reading “Crowdfunding Startups: Opportunities and Bottlenecks”
Gener8tor Demos Latest Startups, Growth of Local Scene
Thursday night’s closing event for gener8tor’s winter startup accelerator program in Madison, WI, was an indication of the progress made since January by its five new graduates. It was also a microcosm of how Wisconsin’s overall startup community has grown in the past two years. More than 400 people packed Madison’s Barrymore Theatre to listen … Continue reading “Gener8tor Demos Latest Startups, Growth of Local Scene”
A Letter to the Year 2061 (If We Make It That Far)
Dear Citizens of 2061, If you’re reading this, congratulations. You’ve survived the first half of the 21st century, and you’ve evidently still got computers, libraries, virtual-reality visors, or some kind of communications system that enabled you to dig up these old scribbles. I have some questions for you. I know you can’t really write back, … Continue reading “A Letter to the Year 2061 (If We Make It That Far)”
Patients Are Customers. Who Knew?
I was finally getting to my giant pile of reading this week when I saw an article in Health Care Information Week that included the following sentence: As consumer satisfaction begins to have a bigger impact on the bottom line, more hospitals are hiring a chief patient experience officer (CXO) to treat patients like valued … Continue reading “Patients Are Customers. Who Knew?”
The Roberts Group Receives New Round
Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=633481ac-63ab-4599-a758-191ebaff7e65 Date 4/4/2014 Company Name The Roberts Group Mailing Address 730 N Grand Ave. Waukesha, WI 53186 USA Company Description We are made up of smart, creative, strategic individuals working hard to help our clients get the job done right. Our clients say we get it, and that must mean that after … Continue reading “The Roberts Group Receives New Round”
Startup Accelerator Gener8tor Gets $110K From Angel Group WIP
The graduates of gener8tor’s winter startup accelerator program will receive a funding boost thanks to a $110,000 investment in the program by Wisconsin Investment Partners. Wisconsin Investment Partners (WIP), a Madison, WI-based angel investment group, is committing $11,000 toward each startup coming out of gener8tor’s three-month business boot camps this year. That includes five startups … Continue reading “Startup Accelerator Gener8tor Gets $110K From Angel Group WIP”
Ebullient Nears Boiling Point in Path to Computer Cooling Market
[Updated 4/3/14, 7:57 am, to include a photo of Ebullient’s process.] For decades, air-based cooling has been the go-to method for avoiding computer chip meltdowns. Now a group of liquid cooling technologies are vying to become the industry standard for data center operators, despite what at first sounds like a potentially disastrous combination of fluid … Continue reading “Ebullient Nears Boiling Point in Path to Computer Cooling Market”
Note to Government: Mandate Cybersecurity, Then Get Out of the Way
The digital economy stands on uncertain ground. From Target to Adobe, cybercriminals have infiltrated the networks of some of the largest businesses in the United States, turning 2013 into a record-setting year for data breaches. Companies lost more than 800 million records in nearly 2,200 incidents, doubling the loss of the previous highest year, 2011, … Continue reading “Note to Government: Mandate Cybersecurity, Then Get Out of the Way”
BomBoard to Millennials: Get Your (Jet Ski) Motor Running
On the surface, John West doesn’t seem like a man who’d design a small, cheap jet ski for urban millennials. The 68-year-old has no formal engineering education, lives in rural Wisconsin, and comes from a generation known to hanker for “big” everything—from cars to motorcycles, houses to boats. But West has, in fact, developed a … Continue reading “BomBoard to Millennials: Get Your (Jet Ski) Motor Running”
Playing the CEO Card
When I was starting my second company, Sparkbuy, I was fortunate to meet a host of terrific technologists while shopping for a CTO. One of them was a brilliant guy named Adam Doppelt, one of the three co-founders of Urbanspoon. Adam told me that Urbanspoon never had a traditional CEO. They hadn’t raised money and … Continue reading “Playing the CEO Card”
Dairyland Innovation: Xconomy Wisconsin’s Top Stories Since December Launch
It’s hard to believe, but it’s been just over three months since Xconomy launched in Wisconsin. Although it still doesn’t quite feel like spring in the Midwest, in the spirit of the (technically) new season, I thought it would be a good time to take a look back at the important stories Xconomy Wisconsin has … Continue reading “Dairyland Innovation: Xconomy Wisconsin’s Top Stories Since December Launch”