Welcome to the November 2014 WIN eNewsletter |
Dear readers -
Wednesday marks the start of the Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium in Madison. There’s still time to drop by! As of noon Tuesday, 520 people were registered to attend. Read on to learn why you should join the crowd at Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center for #ESS30x10.
Sincerely,
Tom Still
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Top 10 reasons to attend this week's Early Stage Symposium
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Still on the fence about attending “30x10,” the annual Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium in Madison? Here are 10 reasons to drop in Wednesday and Thursday for one of the Midwest’s premier events for entrepreneurs. Other highlights will include:
Register onsite at the Monona Terrace. See you there!
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The
initial deadline is Friday, Nov. 14 for high-tech small businesses to
apply for grants through the second round of the state of Wisconsin’s
“SBIR Advance” program. Applications for second round grants of up to $75,000 are open. A brief online pre-submission at wisconsinsbir.org/sbir-advance is due Friday, with the full application due Nov. 24. Grants
are available to recipients of federal Small Business Innovation
Research and Small Business Technology Transfer grants. Read more here.
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Two awards will be announced at the Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium. Roger Ganser, the founder of Venture Investors LLC, will be honored as the third member of the “Wisconsin Investor Hall of Fame.” He will be honored Wednesday. Tim Keane, whose credentials include managing Golden Angels Investors in Milwaukee and launching entrepreneurship programs on Wisconsin campuses, will be honored Thursday as the first winner of the “Excellence in Entrepreneurial Education” – or Triple E – award.
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Governor's Business Plan Contest to open this week!
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The 12th annual Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest will open for entries tomorrow! Visit www.govsbizplancontest.com to learn more about the contest, which will accept brief entries online through 5 p.m. Jan. 31, 2015. The contest is conducted in phases through late May and culminates with live presentations by selected finalists June 2, 2015 at the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference. Past finalists have shared in nearly $2 million in cash and service prizes, and raised at least $160 million from investors on their way to creating successful businesses for Wisconsin.
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Activities are under way surrounding the Milwaukee mayor’s Entrepreneur Week. On tap for the remainder of the week is a crowdfunding workshop at 3 p.m. today, hosted by BizStarts Milwaukee; and other events hosted throughout the remainder of the week by BizStarts, Scale Up Milwaukee and The Brew. The week of Nov. 17-21 is Global Entrepreneurship Week and the Wisconsin Technical College System is marking that event with events on 16 different campuses. Click here to learn more and see a full schedule of events; the Wisconsin Technology Council will be a part of the celebration.
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Tech Council 'white papers' report coming soon
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The Wisconsin Technology Council’s biennial “white papers” report will be published soon; a summary of major points is included in the program manual for this week’s Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium. This report is produced by the Tech Council and its board of directors to provide policymakers with ideas for enhancing Wisconsin’s high-growth, tech-based economy. Over time, these reports have spurred innovation in state laws, programs and policies. Major topics include improving access to investment capital, enhancing the startup and business climate, expanding the supply of human capital and technology development. Review past Tech Council reports here. |
'WisBusiness: The Show' covers news, commentary |
Please watch these latest editions of "WisBusiness: The Show," the twice-a-month Web show covering state business news and issues.
On the latest episode of "WisBusiness: The Show," Liz Schrum interviews Susan Healy of Ascendancy
Advisors and the Early Stage Symposium; Tom Still discusses the growing number
of venture capital investments in Wisconsin; and the WisBusiness.com Stock
Report features health care and property assessments.
Click here view the biweekly show, produced by Tweedee Productions for the Wisconsin Technology Council and WisBusiness.com, as well as archives of past shows. The show is sponsored by Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C., Madison Gas & Electric and UW-Milwaukee.
Guests on other recent shows:
Jim Laudon, Google
Ralph Kauten, Quintessence Biosciences
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Inside Wisconsin columns tackle state, tech issues |
Investors captured voter imagination;
What does it mean for state?
Romney,
who lost the 2012 presidential election to President Obama, weathered no small
amount of campaign heat over the alleged “vulture capitalist” practices of his
private equity firm, Bain Capital. Romney was accused of building Bain’s
portfolio on the backs of the working poor, a charge tied to the company’s
merger and acquisition business far more than its venture capital investments.
Roll forward to the 2014 mid-term elections and private equity investors such
as Romney are political darlings versus objects of derision.
On professional school tuition, UW
needs freedom to compete on price
An
emerging dilemma at the UW-Madison involves state government’s two-year ban on
raising tuition, not only for in-state undergraduates, but for out-of-state
students of all descriptions as well as professional school students in fields
such as medicine, veterinary science, business and pharmacy.
State’s economic development structure
in place: How best to use it
Gov.
Scott Walker and Democratic challenger Mary Burke have staked out major
differences in their approach to job creation and economic growth, but the
candidates appear to agree on one significant item: Reinventing the state’s
flagship economic evelopment agency was the right thing to do.
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Innovation news round-up |
WisBusiness: M-WERC: Names Michael Corradini board chair
The Mid-west Energy Research Consortium (M-WERC) board of directors appointed Corradini chairman during their October meeting. Corradini proceeds MaryAnn Wright of Johnson Controls as chair.
TASCET named in 20 Most Promising Compliance Technology Solution Providers
CIO Review (www.cioreview) has chosen TASCET (www.tascet.com) for its 20 Most Promising Compliance Technology Solution Providers. The positioning is based on the evaluation of TASCET’s capabilities in governance, risk and compliance (GRC) services. The annual list of companies is selected by a panel of experts and members of CIO Review’s editorial board to recognize and promote technology entrepreneurship.
State Journal: Ralph Kauten becomes CEO of Lucigen
Ralph Kauten is the new CEO of Lucigen, a Middleton company that provides cells, cloning kits and other technology for scientific researchers. The appointment took effect Oct. 20, the company said Wednesday.
Nordic ranked 52nd on Modern Healthcare’s “Best Places to Work in Healthcare”
Nordic has been ranked 52nd on Modern Healthcare’s 2014 list of the 100 “Best Places to Work in Healthcare.” The rankings were announced at a banquet last week in Chicago after the names of all the companies on the list were released in August. The complete ranked list is published in the Oct. 27 issue of Modern Healthcare.
JSOnline: Isomark awarded grant to commercialize breath analyzer
Isomark LLC said it has received a $1.7 million federal grant to help bring to market a noninvasive device that detects infection using a breath sample.
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News, events and opportunities |
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Get WIN-volved! Membership has its privileges |
Wisconsin Innovation Network (WIN) is The Tech Council's membership subsidiary - a community-based economic development organization dedicated to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. In association with the Tech Council, WIN programs focus on the needs and challenges faced by new and growing technology-based businesses in Wisconsin. When you become a WIN member, your membership applies to all chapters, statewide. Membership is for one year starting with the month you join. Go here to learn more about the benefits of a WIN membership.
Thank you to the following individuals and organizations that have recently joined or renewed their WIN memberships:
Corporate Members
Advantage Leasing
Alliant Energy
BlueTree Network
Golden Angel Investors
Google
Morgridge Institute
NEW Capital Fund LP
Pegasus Sustainability Solutions
Phenomenelle Angels
UW-Madison OCR
Virent Energy
Wisconsin Investment Partners
Individual Members
Jim Delaney Jr.
Vic Grassman
Mark Harms
Bryan McCormick
Richard Nelson
Jim Van Pelt
Click here to fill out an online application to become a new member or renew your current membership!
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Sponsor your next regional meeting |
Sponsoring your chapter's next WIN meeting will give you and your company immediate exposure to Wisconsin's best and brightest people. WIN is a network dedicated to giving a voice to the technology community as a whole - from the bottom up! Sponsorship opportunities are available on a monthly or annual basis. Contact Maurice Cheeks for more information.
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Post events in our community events section |
Click here to add your event to the Tech Council Community Events section that is designed to assist in the development, growth and success of science- and technology-based businesses in Wisconsin.
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