Venture Investors Bets on Healthcare, and Milwaukee, With $75M Fund

Venture Investors is going all-in on healthcare with its latest venture fund. Launched in 1982, Venture Investors (VI) is the oldest venture firm in Wisconsin, and one of the older VCs in the US. Historically, early-stage life sciences and healthcare startups have made up the majority of its investments, but it has also backed young … Continue reading “Venture Investors Bets on Healthcare, and Milwaukee, With $75M Fund”

AIQ Solutions Hits On $3.2M to Pinpoint Drug-Resistant Tumors

Many companies developing artificial intelligence software for healthcare are trying to improve doctors’ ability to diagnose disease. Fewer emerging healthcare AI businesses are focused on what happens after a diagnosis, aiming to figure out how treatments are working. One of them, AIQ Solutions, has developed software that analyzes medical imaging data to identify all of … Continue reading “AIQ Solutions Hits On $3.2M to Pinpoint Drug-Resistant Tumors”

Manufacturing Gig Platform FactoryFix Raises $1.5M, Relocates to WI

This year, the state of Wisconsin rolled out a marketing campaign aimed at wooing young professionals from Chicago, claiming the Badger State tends to offer cheaper rents, shorter commutes, and easier access to outdoor activities than the Windy City. But for FactoryFix CEO and founder Patrick O’Rahilly, whose manufacturing staffing software startup recently relocated its … Continue reading “Manufacturing Gig Platform FactoryFix Raises $1.5M, Relocates to WI”

WI Syndication Group Seeks More Investor Team-ups to Spur Big Exits

Many startup investments involve multiple investors these days, but it’s not always easy to assemble a group of backers necessary to close the deal. Wisconsin—which has a small local pool of venture capital and aspirations to churn out more high-growth startups—is one of the places experimenting with tactics to nurture relationships and collaboration between investors … Continue reading “WI Syndication Group Seeks More Investor Team-ups to Spur Big Exits”

Foxconn Creates $100M Venture Fund With Three Top WI Businesses

Foxconn Technology Group continues to make its presence felt in the Wisconsin business community. The latest move: The Taiwanese contract manufacturer is forming a $100 million early-stage venture capital fund with three of the Badger State’s leading companies and organizations. Advocate Aurora Health, Northwestern Mutual, Johnson Controls, and Foxconn will each contribute $25 million to … Continue reading “Foxconn Creates $100M Venture Fund With Three Top WI Businesses”

SkySpecs Snags $8M to Expand Drone-Powered Turbine Inspection Service

Drone startup SkySpecs announced this week that it has raised an $8 million Series B funding round. The investment in the Ann Arbor, MI-based company was co-led by Germany’s Statkraft Ventures, the Capital Midwest Fund, and UL Ventures, and also included contributions from returning investors such as Huron River Ventures and Venture Investors. A lot … Continue reading “SkySpecs Snags $8M to Expand Drone-Powered Turbine Inspection Service”

Epic, VC Totals, Shine, & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist

Keep up with the latest news from Wisconsin’s innovation community with these recent headlines: —The United States Supreme Court will hear a case involving Verona-based Epic Systems and whether organizations can make it mandatory for employees to sign arbitration agreements that keep them from pursuing group claims in court, the Associated Press reported. Groups of … Continue reading “Epic, VC Totals, Shine, & More: This Week’s Wisconsin Watchlist”

OPS Solutions Uses Augmented Reality to Boost Manufacturing Process

As the development of robots and other autonomous technologies continues to gather steam, you’ll be hearing a lot more about augmented reality, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence. In Rust Belt regions like Southeast Michigan, we’re beginning to see these nascent innovations intersect with the manufacturing sector, and the result is promising industrial tech. OPS Solutions, … Continue reading “OPS Solutions Uses Augmented Reality to Boost Manufacturing Process”

Pegasus Sustainability Solutions Garners $2,000,000 New Financing Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=4c27d995-ef9f-48ee-9d6d-c37ab4cc782a Date 4/7/2016 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 $2,000,000 Transaction Round Undisclosed Proceeds Purposes Proceeds … Continue reading “Pegasus Sustainability Solutions Garners $2,000,000 New Financing Round”

Pegasus Sustainability Nabs $2M to Develop Cleanup-facilitating Tools

Mark Hope understands the power of auctions. Hope is the founder and CEO of Pegasus Sustainability Solutions, whose software helps connect organizations or individuals that generate waste with groups that can come take it away. One mechanism behind this matchmaking is the reverse auction, where a waste-removal contract goes to the bidder willing to accept … Continue reading “Pegasus Sustainability Nabs $2M to Develop Cleanup-facilitating Tools”

Smart Choice MRI, WARF, & Promega: This Week’s Wisconsin Watch List

A capital-fueled expansion, a nine-figure acquisition, and two end-of-year awards are among the major recent headlines from Wisconsin’s innovation community: —Smart Choice MRI, which is based in the Milwaukee area and operates six clinics in Wisconsin that provide relatively low-cost magnetic resonance imaging services, has raised $6.5 million in new funding. Milwaukee-based F Street Capital led … Continue reading “Smart Choice MRI, WARF, & Promega: This Week’s Wisconsin Watch List”

Capital Midwest Raises $30M of Possible $150M for Third Fund

Capital Midwest Fund, a venture capital fund based in the Milwaukee area, has raised nearly $30 million from 32 investors for its third fund, according to a document filed with the SEC on Thursday. The investor group plans to raise up to $150 million for its latest fund, according to the filing. That would make … Continue reading “Capital Midwest Raises $30M of Possible $150M for Third Fund”

Wisconsin Roundup: Capital Midwest, Healthfinch, TAI, & More

Here’s a collection of recent headlines from Wisconsin’s tech and innovation community: —ProNAi Therapeutics’ recent $138 million initial public offering is a win for Capital Midwest Fund, a Milwaukee-area venture capital firm that invested $3.5 million in ProNAi through its Series C and D rounds, according to SEC filings. Capital Midwest holds more than 798,000 … Continue reading “Wisconsin Roundup: Capital Midwest, Healthfinch, TAI, & More”

Capital Midwest Eyes $150M for 3rd WI VC Fund

Capital Midwest Fund is courting investors as it tries to raise between $100 million and $150 million for its third fund, the Wisconsin venture capital firm told Xconomy. Capital Midwest, based in Mequon, WI, is one of a handful of venture capital funds with offices in the state. It’s currently investing from its second fund, … Continue reading “Capital Midwest Eyes $150M for 3rd WI VC Fund”

OnKol Wants to Help Grandma Join the Internet of Things Movement

As investors and corporations pour millions of dollars into connected-home devices, tech companies have no shortage of ideas—from smart thermostats and home security systems to data-collecting toothbrushes and a refrigerator that sends alerts when the milk is almost out. But while most of these “Internet of things” products are aimed at young tech-savvy adults or … Continue reading “OnKol Wants to Help Grandma Join the Internet of Things Movement”

MoneyTree Reports $121M in MI Venture Deals Last Quarter

Venture Capital investors had a very active second quarter of 2014, according to the latest MoneyTree report. VCs invested almost $13 billion in 1,114 U.S. startups during the second quarter, which is the highest level of VC funding in 13 years. Michigan also had a banner quarter for VC activity, with $121 million invested in … Continue reading “MoneyTree Reports $121M in MI Venture Deals Last Quarter”

ProNAi Therapeutics Closes on $59.5M to Advance Cancer Drug

ProNAi Therapeutics, a Plymouth, MI-based developer of novel nucleic acid treatments targeting cancer and other genetic diseases, said this week that it has closed a Series D financing round worth $59.5 million. The round was led by Vivo Capital of Palo Alto, CA, and included new investors Frazier Healthcare Ventures, OrbiMed Advisors, Adams Street Partners, … Continue reading “ProNAi Therapeutics Closes on $59.5M to Advance Cancer Drug”

ProNAI Therapeutics Raises $12M Series C Round

Plymouth, MI-based biotech company ProNAI Therapeutics announced yesterday that it has secured a $12 million Series C round. The round was led by the Wisconsin-based Capital Midwest Fund and includes new and existing investors. ProNAi, which was formed around technology developed at Wayne State University and the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, aims to “quiet” … Continue reading “ProNAI Therapeutics Raises $12M Series C Round”

Milwaukee, Chicago VCs Bullish on Wisconsin Startups

The amount of startup activity in Wisconsin over the past few years, particularly forming new funding sources and supporting tech startups, has venture capitalists from Milwaukee and Chicago cautiously bullish about the state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. That was the consensus from a Thursday panel discussion between VCs hosted by the Wisconsin Technology Council’s Wisconsin Innovation Network … Continue reading “Milwaukee, Chicago VCs Bullish on Wisconsin Startups”

CytoPherx Raises $34M Toward Finishing Clinical Trial

Ann Arbor-based CytoPherx, a medical device company focusing on inflammation-based diseases, announced yesterday that it has raised $34 million in a new round of financing. A large group of investors participated in the round, including Ohio-based Early Stage Partners, California-based Onset Ventures, and Wisconsin-based Capital Midwest Fund. This latest round of funding comes on top … Continue reading “CytoPherx Raises $34M Toward Finishing Clinical Trial”

CytoPherx Obtains $34,000,000 New Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=19b2d357-f166-424f-a518-d25bffad22b0&Preview=1 Date 1/4/2012 Company Name CytoPherx Mailing Address 401 W. Morgan Rd. Ann Arbor, MI 48108 Company Description CytoPherx, Inc., founded in July 2007 and headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is a venture-backed, clinical stage medical device company addressing inflammation-based diseases and conditions with a proprietary selective cytopheresis system. Website http://www.cytopherx.com Transaction … Continue reading “CytoPherx Obtains $34,000,000 New Funding Round”