Some of the biggest names in private equity investing as well as Wisconsin entrepreneurs who went from start-up to success will speak at the sixth annual Wisconsin Entrepreneurs' Conference.

Mark your calendar for the 2008 Wisconsin Entrepreneur's Conference, to be held June 9-10 at the Hyatt Regency, 333 W. Kilbourn, Milwaukee.

Major speakers and panelists include:

• David Brophy, director of the Michigan Growth Capital Symposium
• G. Steven Burrill, Burrill & Co. (nearly $1 billion in assets under management)
• Craig Culver, Culver Franchising System (more than 370 restaurants nationwide)
• John May, Angel Capital Association (North America's alliance of angel groups)
• Sue Strommer, National Association of Seed and Venture Funds (8,000 innovation capital professionals)
• Anne Zizzo, Zizzo Group Advertising and Public Relations ($40-million in annual billings)

Other highlights include:

• Exclusive forums for investors, such as the I-Q Corridor Investors' Forum and the "First Look" forum, which feature pre-commercialization technology from Wisconsin academic research institutions
• The Ken Hendricks Memorial "Seize the Day" award
• The fifth annual Governor's Business Plan Contest awards, which will honor 23 finalists with $200,000 in cash and in-kind prizes
• Hands-on panel discussions, dozens of exhibits and a wealth of networking opportunities

From 250 entries in January, down to 23 finalists in May, this year's Wisconsin Governeor's Business Plan Contest finalists represent the top 10 percent of entries throughout the state. This year's winner will be named at the 2008 Wisconsin Entrepreneurs' Conference on June 9 in Milwaukee.

Who will this year's winner be?

Daniel Kunkel	ESAN (mailbox monitoring)	Eau Claire
William Schwan	Mycophyte Discovery (cystic fibrosis drug)	La Crosse
Jingxi Sun	Semiconductor Lighting (street lights)	Madison
Matthew Barbian	Helios America (camping gear)	Madison
Scott Daigger	Sandbox International (innovation process)	Madison
Chao Xie	GeoNet (location-oriented mobile social network)	Madison
Jeffrey Williams	Portable Asthma Monitor	Madison
David Zethmayr	High-speed data transfer	Mauston
Barbara Israel	Echometrix (ultrasound diagnosis)	Mt.Horeb
Peter Petit	V-Glass (energy-saving glass)	Pewaukee
James Hamilton	Graphene Solutions (nanotechnology)	Platteville
Kimberly Trygar	Semi- Automatic Pill/Liquid Dispenser	Pleasant Prairie
Sheila Milbrath	2DX2 Geothermal Systems, Inc	Racine
Ann Hippensteel	Solar Flair (TM) (photovoltaic sculpture)	SturgeonBay
Van Krzywicki	Pea Pod Homes LLC	SturgeonBay
Timothy Lohman	AfibAlert (medical device)	Sussex
Daniel van der Weide	Optametra (complex signal analysis)	Verona
James Schroeder	Personalized Orthopaedic Implants	Waukesha
Michael Miller	NxtMile (over- 40 running shoe)	Waunakee
Pat James	DEMET (reclaiming metals from water)	West Allis

As it has in previous years, the WisBusiness BIO Convention Blog will cover the latest and greatest of this year's BIO Convention. Follow the Wisconsin delegation through stories and video coverage provided by the Wisconsin Technology Council. Join us as we report back on major highlights of this year's convention including visits from Governor Doyle, Steve Burrill and other industry leaders.

The Deal-flow Pipeline (DFP), launched June 2005, quickly became the first successful, publicly available on-line collection of investment deals. More than 700 entrepreneurs created accounts and uploaded more than 200 executive summaries, allowing WAN's membership of 28 angel networks and early-stage funds access to the largest pool of live deals. A new platform, Angelsoft, has replaced the current DFP. Angelsoft will connect more investors and entrepreneurs, enable investors to easily collaborate on deals, and help spread investments around the I-Q Corridor.

• High-school graduation rates in Wisconsin are above the U.S. average, and college entrance exam scores rank No. 1 or 2, year after year.
• The number of Wisconsin citizens with two-year (technical college) degrees is about 1.5 percentage points above the U.S. average.
• The biosciences are a $8-billion industry in Wisconsin, including more than 400 companies and 28,000 workers in medical, industrial and environmental biotechnology, bioinformatics, medical devices, healthcare and value-added agriculture.
• Wisconsin is ranked in the top 10 for biotechnology employment growth. "Fierce Biotech," a leading industry bulletin, recently named Wisconsin one of the five places in the world best-positioned to be a hotbed of biotech innovation.

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:

INSERT QUESTION

Last issue we asked:
Have you or your business drawn on the resources of the UW-Madison, UW- Extension or other UW System campuses in the past six months?

18% of voters said "Yes - UW-Madison"
18% of voters said "Yes - UW-Extension"
18% of voters said "Yes - Other UW-System campuses"
46% of voters said "No"

BioPharmaceutical Technology Center courses for scientists and educators, June-August, Madison

First Steps to Starting Your Business, June 7, UW-Green Bay

Wisconsin Entrepreneurs' Conference, June 9-10, Milwaukee

Virtualization: Is it Right for Your Company? , June 12, Middleton, WI

The 7 Habits for Small Business Managers, June 12 & 19, Madison

eHealth Implementation Summit, June 12, Madison

2008 BIO International Convention, June 17-20, San Diego, CA

Wisconsin Technology Council Board of Directors meeting,
July 15, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., CenturyTel, La Crosse; Requests to host a future meeting may be directed to Ryann Petit-Frere at ryannp@wisconsintechnolog ycouncil.com

WiSys Science & Technology Symposium, July 17-18,UW-Stout

Lake Superior Technology Conference, August 6-7, Ashland, WI

Midwest U.S. - Japan Association Conference, September 7, Milwaukee

Rock Valley Innovators and Entrepreneurs Forum, September 10, Janesville

2008 World Stem Cell Summit, September 22-23, Madison

2008 Resource Rendezvous, August 28, Marshfield

Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium, November 5-6, Madison

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.