Members of the state Legislature are continuing work on the 2007-2009 state budget bill, which included an expansion of the Act 255 angel investor tax credits when proposed by Gov. Jim Doyle. The Legislature's Joint Finance Committee endorsed the governor's recommendation this spring, the Senate recommended keeping the credit at current levels, but the Assembly recommended an expansion. Debate will continue as lawmakers work out the differences in the respective bills.

More than 400 people attended the fifth annual Wisconsin Entrepreneurs' Conference, June 12-13, in Milwaukee. Entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors and others made connections as they learned how to grow their start-up businesses and crack into today's emerging markets. Re-live the highlights of this year's event or experience them for the first time by clicking on the "It's a Wrap!" icon on the Tech Council's web site. Speaker videos, news stories and photographs are available.

Congratulations to the 2007 BPC winners! This year's top 12 included: Dossette LLC (2), Extract Systems, Fahlgreen Solutions, JotChat, JunTech, NIR Inspection System Manufacturing, Muth Global Visions, SiteHound Inspection Software, Skill Associates, Stealth Therapeutics, Vector Surgical

And thank you to our sponsors: 5Nines Data, Aberdean Consulting, Amcore Bank, American Transmission Company, AT&T, Baird Venture Partners, Chippewa Valley Technical College, First Weber Group, Flad & Associates, Foley & Lardner, Godfrey & Kahn, Grant Thornton, M.A. Mortenson Co., Makin' Hey! Communications, Madison Gas & Electric Co., Marshfield Clinic Applied Sciences, Michael Best & Friedrich, Milwaukee Economic Development Corporation, Momentum Video Services Inc., Park Printing, Quarles & Brady, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, Small Business Times, The Business Journal, Third Wave Technologies, University Research Park, U.S. Patent Services, UW-Madison Office of Corporate Relations, UW-Whitewater-Center for Innovation & Business Development, Wisconsin Innovation Service Center, Venture Investors, Vrakas/Blum S.C., Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, Wisconsin Education Association Council, WEA Trust, We Energies, Wisconsin Health and Educational Facilities Authority, Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek, WisBusiness.com, Wisconsin Entrepreneurs' Network, WiSys, Wisconsin Angel Network, Wisconsin Department of Commerce, Wisconsin Technology Network, Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions

A partnership between UW-Madison, the UW System and Michigan State University emerged as one of three sites awarded a $125 million grant by the U.S. Department of Energy to create a bio-energy lab. The five-year grant also involves other corporate and institutional partners. The Great Lake Bioenergy Center will focus on removing bottlenecks from the production of cellulosic ethanol. Other labs were awarded to teams in Berkeley, Calif., and Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Growing the tech-based economy in northwest Wisconsin is the theme of the second Lake Superior Technology Conference. The conference is being produced by the Wisconsin Technology Council, the Wisconsin Innovation Network Lake Superior Chapter and other Ashland-area partners.

UW System President Kevin Reilly will be the keynote speaker during the Thursday, Aug. 9 working session at Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College , 2100 Beaser Ave. in Ashland. Panel discussions throughout the day will cover these topics:

• Competing in the "knowledge-based economy"
• Trends in alternative energy
• Medical and pharmaceutical business opportunities
• Investing in Wisconsin

• Wisconsin early-stage investments topped $100 million in 2006 according to the 2006 Report on Risk Capital in Wisconsin from the Wisconsin Angel Network.

• South Central & Southwest Wisconsin (12 counties) was one of 13 nationwide regions to receive grants through the third round of the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) program. Recipients will each receive $5 million over the course of three years to integrate workforce training initiatives into their regional economic development strategy.

Reader Poll is the newest feature of the WIN eNewsletter! Share your thoughts by voting and view the responses of others.

Reader Poll question of the month:

Based on what you know, how would you rate the overall strength of Wisconsin's economy?

Last month we asked:
Based on what you know, does the state of Wisconsin do a good job of supporting tech-based economic development?
50% said Yes / 50% said No / 0% said Undecided

Tales from the Incubator, July 24, Madison
Tales from four entrepreneurs who turned their dreams into prosperous enterprises

Action Taken on Health Care Research Cluster, August 14, Green Bay, WI
Round table discussion with Jim Wood of Wisconsin Edge, Mark Bugher of URP and Maliyakal John of WiSys

Advances in Therapeutic Discovery and Drug Development:
Preclinical Cell-Based Therapy Research,
August 15-17, Augusta, MI
Research summit presented by MPI Research and WiCell Research Institute.

Investing in Agriculture, August 16, Pewaukee, WI
Molly Jahn, Dean of the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences at UW-Madison, will be the keynote speaker

NanoRite Innovation Center Ribbon Cutting, August 24, Eau Claire, WI

Madison Business Investors' Forum, August 30, Madison, WI
Exclusive Wisconsin Angel Network event for investors, remote conferencing between five Wisconsin and Illinois locations

BIO Mid-America VentureForum, September 24-26, Milwaukee, WI

Minnesota-Wisconsin Investors' Symposium, October 3, UW-River Falls

Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium, November 14-15, Madison, WI
Mark your calendars! This year's conference features the return of the Elevator Pitch Olympics and "VentureQuest."

Joining your local Wisconsin Innovation Network (WIN) Chapter offers networking connections with a variety of industries and professionals in high tech, law, banking, government, public relations, manufacturing, and local entrepreneurs. Your next client/customer/partner is only "six degrees of separation" away.

Click here to join your local WIN Chapter or to learn more about us.