Category: Wisconsin

Appearing Briefly at Your Next Conference: “Whac-A-Mole” Speakers

Whac-A-Mole, for those of you who are not familiar with it, is a fast-paced arcade game in which mechanical moles pop quickly in and out of holes on a large board. You earn points by whacking them with a giant hammer whenever they pop out of their holes. You need really good reflexes to do … Continue reading “Appearing Briefly at Your Next Conference: “Whac-A-Mole” Speakers”

4 IT Mistakes All Startups Should Avoid

Information Technology (IT) can be a startup’s biggest asset. Take, for instance, the cloud, mobile devices, and social media—they have all opened up exciting new business opportunities for startups, while also offering them the tools to grow their business powerfully. Yet, we have seen multiple startups make critical IT mistakes. Consequently, their business operations become … Continue reading “4 IT Mistakes All Startups Should Avoid”

Think Like a Founder Before Becoming One

February 2014 will go down in history as a month with two huge startup exits: Nest (acquired by Google for a whopping $3.2 billion) and WhatsApp (acquired by Facebook for an even more whopping $19 billion). If you haven’t caught the startup bug, there’s a good chance you will have caught it after this. What’s … Continue reading “Think Like a Founder Before Becoming One”

Sugary Foods Are Killing Us. The Internet, Not So Much.

When I’m jittery from too much caffeine, I don’t blame it on Starbucks. It’s not entirely Hershey’s fault that I have an unhealthy love of chocolate. And if, in a moment of idleness, I click on a headline like 35 Foods From Your Childhood That Are Extinct Now, I don’t blame BuzzFeed for wasting three … Continue reading “Sugary Foods Are Killing Us. The Internet, Not So Much.”

FDA Panel Gives Exact’s Colon Cancer Test Ringing Endorsement

It was all smiles and congratulatory handshakes for Exact Sciences president and CEO Kevin Conroy this afternoon after a panel of physicians and medical experts unanimously endorsed the Madison, WI-based company’s colon cancer screening test for FDA approval. The FDA advisory committee voted 10-0 on all three questions, indicating panelists’ belief that Cologuard—Exact’s non-invasive, stool … Continue reading “FDA Panel Gives Exact’s Colon Cancer Test Ringing Endorsement”

Houston’s RedLabs Creates Prep Program for New Summer Accelerator

At RedLabs, we found that having an accelerator isn’t enough to support student entrepreneurs. A brief background: The University of Houston founded RedLabs in 2012 to serve as the hub for technology entrepreneurship by helping students either launch startups or encourage them to join startups as early employees.  Our first class joined the accelerator last … Continue reading “Houston’s RedLabs Creates Prep Program for New Summer Accelerator”

Wisconsin Startups Join War of Apartment-Hunting Websites

When CoStar Group acquired Apartments.com for $585 million in early March, it was quite the endorsement for the 17-year-old website. But the company hardly has the field to itself. In addition to the listings on venerable Craigslist, a dizzying array of apartment-hunting websites already exists, from HotPads and StreetEasy (both acquired by Zillow, for $16 … Continue reading “Wisconsin Startups Join War of Apartment-Hunting Websites”

Why Internal Ventures Are Different from External Startups

This post follows directly on Steve Blank’s earlier excellent post, Why Companies are not Startups. The question of how corporations can be more innovative is one I have wrestled with for a long time. For those who don’t know, I wrote the book Open Innovation in 2003, and followed it with Open Business Models in … Continue reading “Why Internal Ventures Are Different from External Startups”

Bill Aulet To Talk Entrepreneurship in Madison and Milwaukee

Can entrepreneurship really be taught? This is just one of the questions that we’ll be exploring in Wisconsin on April 17 in two separate roundtable discussions featuring Boston-area entrepreneurship guru Bill Aulet. Xconomy is hosting the events in Madison and Milwaukee in partnership with gener8tor and Startup Milwaukee. The roundtables will be our first events … Continue reading “Bill Aulet To Talk Entrepreneurship in Madison and Milwaukee”

Calling All Angels: Practically Anyone Can Be an Angel Investor

I’m a big fan of angel investing. The thrill of helping innovative entrepreneurs launch their dreams is as exciting as anything I’ve ever done. I once heard someone say your life is divided into thirds—you spend the first third learning, the second third earning, and the last third returning. I like that. For me, angel … Continue reading “Calling All Angels: Practically Anyone Can Be an Angel Investor”

Wisconsin Big Idea Tournament Finals

From the event organizer: “Ten teams of University of Wisconsin student entrepreneurs will compete April 5 in Madison to represent the state in May at the International Business Model Competition, where $100,000 in awards will be distributed to top teams. UW-Extension and partners are presenting this inaugural Wisconsin Big Idea Tournament contest. The top finisher … Continue reading “Wisconsin Big Idea Tournament Finals”

Madison’s Spring Tech Kickoff and Capital Entrepreneurs Open Social

From the event organizer: “Techies, Entrepreneurs, Startup folks, and everyone else in our amazing town and its amazing universities and schools driving the amazing energy springing up in and around tech in Madison—You and your colleagues are invited to this event! A lot has happened since last year’s inaugural spring event, and even more is … Continue reading “Madison’s Spring Tech Kickoff and Capital Entrepreneurs Open Social”

AMRI to Acquire API Manufacturer Cedarburg Pharmaceuticals for $41M

Cedarburg Hauser Pharmaceuticals, the Grafton, WI-based contract developer and manufacturer of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) for the drug industry, will be acquired for $41 million by Albany Molecular Research Inc. (AMRI), the two companies announced today. Albany, NY-based AMRI (NASDAQ:[[ticker:AMRI]]), a global contract drug discovery, development, and manufacturing firm, said it is paying $38.2 million … Continue reading “AMRI to Acquire API Manufacturer Cedarburg Pharmaceuticals for $41M”

Little Insights About ‘Big Data’

A little over a year ago I became the CEO of a company in the “big data” space that is developing predictive analytics software. My CTO is the “data guy,” and I’m the “business guy.” While my background is technical, I had very little experience in data or analytics and only knew about big data … Continue reading “Little Insights About ‘Big Data’”

The Missing Middle Class: Jobs in the Second Machine Age

Technological change is not a tide that lifts all boats in our economy. The truth is that it’s more like a tsunami. It threatens to overturn all the boats and drown their occupants, sparing only the lucky few who have already reached safety in the hills. That’s the kind of admission you won’t often see … Continue reading “The Missing Middle Class: Jobs in the Second Machine Age”

Lessons From Pat McGovern for Entrepreneurs

Very sad about the passing of Pat McGovern, the Chairman of International Data Group (IDG). He was my mentor and friend for over 30 years, and a giant in the technology, media, market research, and venture capital fields. Today, I took some time to reflect on what Pat taught me as an entrepreneur and investor. … Continue reading “Lessons From Pat McGovern for Entrepreneurs”

Branch2 Raising Seed Funding to Grow Staff, Build Health IT Apps

Branch2, a Madison, WI-based startup that intends to build healthcare software applications in collaboration with hospital systems, is looking to raise $500,000 in seed funding, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission. Branch2 has raised $40,000 from two investors so far in the offering of debt and options or warrants to … Continue reading “Branch2 Raising Seed Funding to Grow Staff, Build Health IT Apps”

Exact Sciences’ Colon Cancer Test Clears Key Hurdle, FDA Next

Wall Street was pleased today with the newly published results of a pivotal study of Exact Sciences’ non-invasive screening test for colorectal cancer. Next step for the Madison, WI, company: FDA approval. Exact (NASDAQ: [[ticker:EXAS]]) announced top-line data of its 10,000-patient study in April 2013, but the full results were officially published Wednesday in a … Continue reading “Exact Sciences’ Colon Cancer Test Clears Key Hurdle, FDA Next”

UW-Milwaukee Students to Design Healthcare Apps for MCW

A searchable database of open clinical trials, a mobile calculator and calendar for helping patients on steroids decrease their dosage over time, and a mobile tracker for blood donors were among the winning ideas for apps pitched on Tuesday at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW). Twenty-two teams of mostly physicians and medical researchers from … Continue reading “UW-Milwaukee Students to Design Healthcare Apps for MCW”

Boston VCs See Madison Healthtech Play Following Nashville’s Path

There’s been plenty of rosy talk lately from entrepreneurs and stakeholders in Madison, WI, about the area’s potential for becoming a national hub for healthtech startups. On Tuesday, Madison got an endorsement from Boston venture capitalists who are starting to take notice of the entrepreneurial activity happening here, including in health information technology. Local optimists … Continue reading “Boston VCs See Madison Healthtech Play Following Nashville’s Path”

ITS Compliance Secures $5,750,000 New Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=9ae2d299-d232-4188-ab96-b7c430a2572a Date 3/19/2014 Company Name ITS Compliance Mailing Address 137 S. Bristol St. Sun Prairie, WI 53590 USA Company Description Founded in 1983, ITS Compliance, Inc. serves private, for-hire, and leasing companies nationwide, regardless of size. At ITS Compliance, we believe our success is the result of our service attitude to our … Continue reading “ITS Compliance Secures $5,750,000 New Financing”

Photographer to Present Lecture in Bioethics at Medical College of Wisconsin

From the event organizer: “Rick Guidotti, an award-winning former fashion photographer who now focuses his work on genetics, mental health, and human rights, will present the Henry Howe Chan Memorial Lecture in Bioethics at the Medical College of Wisconsin on Thursday, April 3 at 5:30 p.m. Guidotti spent years shooting high fashion editorial spreads for … Continue reading “Photographer to Present Lecture in Bioethics at Medical College of Wisconsin”

Get the Heck Out of the Building in Founder’s School: Part 2

With a ~$2 billion endowment the Kauffman Foundation is the largest non-profit focused on entrepreneurship in the world. Giving away $80 million to every year (~$25 million to entrepreneurial causes) makes Kauffman the dominant player in the entrepreneurship space. Kauffman launched Founders School – a new education series to help entrepreneurs develop their businesses during … Continue reading “Get the Heck Out of the Building in Founder’s School: Part 2”

ITS Compliance Gets $5.75M From Chicago, NY Private Equity Firms

ITS Compliance, a Wisconsin tech-enabled services provider for truck fleets, has received a $5.75 million investment that it says will help improve its software platform and expand its services. The funding deal announced Monday was co-led by First Analysis and Argentum, private equity firms based in Chicago and New York, respectively. ITS Compliance was founded … Continue reading “ITS Compliance Gets $5.75M From Chicago, NY Private Equity Firms”

BrightStar Wisconsin Foundation Makes First Investments

BrightStar Wisconsin Foundation, a new philanthropic organization that puts money into startups, has made its first round of investments. BrightStar, which was granted nonprofit status by the Internal Revenue Service in November, says today it’s putting more than $250,000 into three early-stage Wisconsin companies: Engineered Propulsion Systems, New Richmond; Stemina Biomarker Discovery, Madison; and 425 … Continue reading “BrightStar Wisconsin Foundation Makes First Investments”

Wisconsin Roundup: Tech Transfer, Supercomputers, Stem Cells

Here are a few notable news items from Wisconsin’s tech and innovation community over the past week: —Discovery to Product (D2P), the new University of Wisconsin-Madison initiative for accelerating commercialization of campus innovations, named Wisconsin entrepreneur John Biondi as its first director. In his career, Biondi has raised nearly $60 million for nine early-stage ventures … Continue reading “Wisconsin Roundup: Tech Transfer, Supercomputers, Stem Cells”

For Products, Technology Still Matters

Popular media has seriously overshot on the relative importance of marketing and design versus technology for product companies. Just spend some time perusing the usual outlets and you’ll quickly forget that startups employ technologists. What’s scary is it’s not just media—the rest of the world is starting to follow. The number of companies, raising very … Continue reading “For Products, Technology Still Matters”

From Cosimo to Cosmos: The Medici Effect in Culture and Technology

Deep inside the Palazzo Vecchio, the tall stone fortress that has served as the seat of government power in Florence since the 14th century, there’s a room called the Sala delle Carte Geografiche, the Hall of Maps. The cabinets lining the walls, which once held scientific instruments and other precious items, are decorated with 53 … Continue reading “From Cosimo to Cosmos: The Medici Effect in Culture and Technology”

4490 Ventures Head Brings Silicon Valley Experience, Midwest Mindset

Greg Robinson spent 12 years in the Silicon Valley venture capital world, where the amount of money constantly being pumped into startups can at times seem almost unreal to Wisconsin observers. But Robinson says he brings a Midwest-like mindset of prudence to his role as general partner of the new 4490 Ventures fund based in … Continue reading “4490 Ventures Head Brings Silicon Valley Experience, Midwest Mindset”

Startup Weekend Madison

Madison will hold its third annual Startup Weekend. This 54-hour event allows attendees to pitch a startup idea, form teams to create that business, and test the waters. The weekend ends with presentations to local entrepreneurial leaders. For more information and to register, click here.

Renaissance Learning Being Sold for $1.1B to Hellman & Friedman

[Updated 3/14/14, 8:50 am. See below.] Renaissance Learning is being sold for $1.1 billion to private equity firm Hellman & Friedman in what it says is one of the largest education technology acquisitions ever. Hellman & Friedman, with offices in San Francisco, New York, and London, will acquire Renaissance Learning from U.K.-based private equity firm … Continue reading “Renaissance Learning Being Sold for $1.1B to Hellman & Friedman”

GE Healthcare Study Quantifies Economic Impact of Madison Operation

GE Healthcare has had a significant presence in Madison, WI, since 2003, when it bought Datex-Ohmeda, a company that traced its local roots to the opening of an Ohio Medical Products manufacturing facility in 1946. Today there are 630 people working at GE Healthcare’s 200,000-square-foot facility on the outskirts of Madison, the U.S. hub for … Continue reading “GE Healthcare Study Quantifies Economic Impact of Madison Operation”

Scale Up Milwaukee, Aided by $350K From WEDC, Aims to Prove Itself

State officials are pouring a lot more cash into Scale Up Milwaukee, the entrepreneurship program that tests a college professor’s theories by helping existing businesses push for more rapid growth. For its second year, Scale Up is getting $350,000 from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., officials told Xconomy. That represents a big increase in support … Continue reading “Scale Up Milwaukee, Aided by $350K From WEDC, Aims to Prove Itself”

Drifty Secures $1,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4d8c02f4-02db-4968-bba1-2cc6d117930d Date 3/11/2014 Company Name Drifty Mailing Address 104 King St. Madison, WI 53703 Company Description Drifty is the creator of the popular and growing cross-platform mobile development framework Ionic is making it easy for developers to build rich, interactive mobile apps that run across multiple mobile platforms and are powered by … Continue reading “Drifty Secures $1,000,000 New Financing Round”

Madison Software Startup Drifty Raises $1M

[Updated 3/10/14, 12:48 pm, after speaking with Drifty officials.] Drifty, the Madison, WI-based startup that builds online platforms for people to create websites and mobile applications, has raised $1 million in a private securities offering, according to a document filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Arthur Ventures, a venture capital firm with offices … Continue reading “Madison Software Startup Drifty Raises $1M”

Five Ways To Avoid Losing Money as An Angel Investor

I have an angel investor friend—let’s call this friend “Alex.” Alex has great deal flow and works hard to pick the best opportunities for investment. Alex has been frustrated over the past several years, however, because she doesn’t seem to be making any money. This is despite solid operational performance by several of the companies … Continue reading “Five Ways To Avoid Losing Money as An Angel Investor”

Carroll Raising Milwaukee Profile with Grad Entrepreneurship Program

Carroll University, Wisconsin’s oldest four-year higher education institution, is attempting to raise its profile in the Milwaukee startup community with a new graduate program in entrepreneurship taught by successful local entrepreneurs. The $13,500 intensive, 15-credit, four-month “boot camp” will accept 24 students for its inaugural program in the fall. The 168-year-old Carroll is located west … Continue reading “Carroll Raising Milwaukee Profile with Grad Entrepreneurship Program”

Farewell, Xconomy Readers. I’m Going to Climb a New Mountain

This is my last week on the job at Xconomy. After almost six years, I’m moving on. I’m going to finish writing a biography of Leroy Hood, the pioneer of high-speed DNA sequencing and genomic-based personalized medicine. And then I’ll see what’s next. When I first joined Xconomy, it had been founded 10 months earlier … Continue reading “Farewell, Xconomy Readers. I’m Going to Climb a New Mountain”

OnCourse Learning Sold to NY Private Equity Firm

OnCourse Learning, the Waukesha, WI-based provider of online professional training programs, has changed hands. New York private equity firm CIP Capital has acquired OnCourse Learning from Cleveland-based private equity firm The Riverside Company. Terms weren’t disclosed, but Dow Jones reported that Riverside earned a return that was 5.4 times greater than its investment made in … Continue reading “OnCourse Learning Sold to NY Private Equity Firm”

4 Ways to Stop Social Media from Blowing Up In Your Startup’s Face

Social media offers startups a powerful platform to cost-effectively market their products and services, get their brand recognized, and engage with a wide audience of customers. Yet social media also throws up multiple risks. Many of these risks—be they security and privacy risks, compliance risks, or reputational risks—are not new. However, companies have become more … Continue reading “4 Ways to Stop Social Media from Blowing Up In Your Startup’s Face”

WIN-Milwaukee Luncheon: Innovations in Aviation

From the event organizer: “Learn how ideas revolving around Milwaukee’s General Mitchell International Airport could create a commercial and transportation hub for Wisconsin’s growing aerospace industry at the March 13 luncheon meeting of the Wisconsin Innovation Network in Wauwatosa. Panelists include Tom Rave, executive director of Aerotropolis Milwaukee, an economic development project of Gateway to … Continue reading “WIN-Milwaukee Luncheon: Innovations in Aviation”

California VC Greg Robinson to Lead Wisconsin’s 4490 Ventures

4490 Ventures, Wisconsin’s new $30 million venture capital fund focused on information technology startups, has recruited a San Francisco Bay Area VC investor to lead the fund. Greg Robinson has been named 4490 Ventures’ general partner, the firm said today in a press release. Robinson was previously one of two partners at Peninsula Ventures, an … Continue reading “California VC Greg Robinson to Lead Wisconsin’s 4490 Ventures”

Building a Tech Hub in Land of Green Bay Packers, Paper Mills

Northeastern Wisconsin is best known for the Green Bay Packers and paper mills. Not exactly the building blocks for a booming tech startup hub, but a small group of techies and investors is trying to grow one there. It’s still a raw effort with a long way to go before the scene in Green Bay … Continue reading “Building a Tech Hub in Land of Green Bay Packers, Paper Mills”

Supreme Court Should Scale Back Securities Class Actions

Class-action lawsuits against publicly traded companies, which ironically are meant to protect investors like me, have officially jumped the shark.  That was the only conclusion I could come to after learning last week that one firm alone, Levi & Korsinsky, is suing not one, but three companies I invest in—Aegerion Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AEGR]]), Sarepta Therapeutics … Continue reading “Supreme Court Should Scale Back Securities Class Actions”

Why It’s Time to Retire the Term “Life Sciences”

I originally thought about titling this piece “Life Sciences, Biosciences, BioPharma, Biotech, and Healthcare: What’s the Difference?” but that was simply too unwieldy. Many people use these terms interchangeably without thinking about what they specifically refer to, and which types of jobs and activities they encompass. Are they all the same thing? I don’t think … Continue reading “Why It’s Time to Retire the Term “Life Sciences””

Startup Milwaukee: Crowdfunding Panel Discussion

From the event organizer: “Join Startup Milwaukee for a panel discussion on crowdfunding and Wisconsin’s new equity crowdfunding laws at 96square. Experts from around the state will share their knowledge on the rules and regulations around equity crowdfunding and entrepreneurs will share their experiences leveraging crowdfunding to grow their business.” Xconomy Wisconsin editor Jeff Engel … Continue reading “Startup Milwaukee: Crowdfunding Panel Discussion”