Madison gaming company PerBlue gains national attention via Empact 100 list PerBlue Inc., a Madison-based mobile and social gaming software start-up, is the only Wisconsin company to be named to the Empact 100 list. Learn more in a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story.

Group hammers out plan to invigorate technology education - and Wisconsin's economy A group of business and education leaders from across Wisconsin has hammered out a plan to spur educational growth in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), which include concepts such as removing barriers to related career exploration and forging more public-private partnerships in this tech-driven area.

GE Healthcare, UW med school announce $32.9-million research agreement An agreement to continue and expand an already well-established research collaboration between GE Healthcare and the UW-Madison was announced Thursday at a news conference at the UW Health Sciences Learning Center. Click here to read a story from BizTimes Milwaukee. 

Madison tech entrepreneurs win $70,000 prize in San Francisco contest Two Madison entrepreneurs with deep roots in mobile applications won a prestigious contest in San Francisco, Calif., over 145 other entries Read more here in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.  

Oshkosh Corp. awarded $67 million military order Oshkosh Corp. has received a $67 million order from the U.S. Marine Corps for all-terrain trucks, the company announced.

Three biotech companies to expand in Madison's University Research Park Three biotechnology companies will expand in Madison's University Research Park. Click here to see the full Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story.

NeuWave Medical raises $14 million in venture funding NeuWave Medical, a Madison-based medical device company, has raised $14 million in a second roud of financing. H.I.G. BioVentures, a new investor in the company, led the funding round. Read full Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story here.

Senate panel holds hearing on early stage capital; Tech Council's Still, Brandon testify A number of entrepreneurs, investors and others with a stake in Wisconsin's high-growth economy were among those who testified Thursday during a Senate committee hearing on the need for a state-leveraged early stage capital fund. Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council, and Zach Brandon, director of the Tech Council's Wisconsin Angel Network, were among those who testified. Look for coverage of the hearing at http://www.wiseye.org/

NorthStar Medical Technologies secures $5.2 million in new funding NorthStar Medical Technologies, a manufacturer and distributor of domestically-produced radioisotopes for the nuclear medicine field, has announced the closing of a Series D preferred stock financing round totaling $5.2 million.

Indian health care company licenses software from Medical College, UW-Milwaukee AdvenioTecnoSys, a health care company based in Kolkata, India, has licensed software that automatically assets images of the liver from two Wisconsin research institutions -- the Medical College of Wisconsin and the UW-Milwaukee. Read the full Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story here.

Campus Connection: WARF keeps UW among leaders in cashing in on research UW-Madison, thanks to its partnership with the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, remained among the national leaders in commercializing its academic research during the 2011 fiscal year, according to an annual survey of the Association of University Technology Managers released earlier in the week.

Promentis Pharmaceuticals receives funding from Michael J. Fox Foundation Promentis Pharmaceuticals Inc. said Friday it has received a $299,000 award from the Michael J. Fox Foundation to conduct further research into compounds that show promise for treating Parkinson's disease.

Gener8tor holds launch party for seven companies Mayor Tom Barrett, state legislators, financiers and others were among more than 300 people who attended a launch party for seven new companies recently at Discovery World in Milwaukee.

Oshkosh wins role in Humvee replacement A competition to replace thousands of U.S. military vehicles, potentially worth billions of dollars, has heated up with the naming of Oshkosh Corp. as one of three firms awarded vehicle engineering and manufacturing development contracts.

Walker, groups to try again for venture capital bill Gov. Scott Walker has asked the state commerce agency to pull together a broad coalition in a new effort to develop venture capital legislation aimed at creating more jobs in Wisconsin.

Four Madison businesses among first graduates in tech startup program A new Wisconsin accelerator program for technology companies, gener8tor, introduced its first class of graduates in Milwaukee on Thursday, and four of the seven young businesses are in Madison.

Aviation, aerospace sectors growing in state Bill Watson took the entrepreneurial plunge in the late 1970s. He developed a low-cost, reliable gyroscope, quit his job in Virginia and moved to the Chippewa Valley in 1980 to fine-tune and manufacture the product. Today he oversees Watson Industries, which makes gyro products and systems that are used to stabilize cameras over football fields and antennas on cruise ships or to control unmanned aircraft. Gyroscopes are mechanical devices that maintain or measure orientation.

Internet entrepreneur is ready to match women with just the right cosmetics Jalem Getz, an entrepreneur who grew BuySeasons.com from nothing into a $160 million company, has started what he says could be an even bigger winner.

Scientists win award to create patient, doctor avatars Scientists from the Medical College of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee have received a one-year, $100,000 award from a Milwaukee businessman and his wife to develop avatars for patients and doctors that would allow the medical professionals to see more people, more efficiently.

Stevens Point firm Skyward named one of 50 best ed-tech software tools for schools Skyward, Inc., based in Stevens Point, Wis., has earned a 2012 Readers' Choice Award for its software-driven school management system. Skyward is a member of the Tech Council's Wisconsin Innovation Network.

Cellular Dynamics and CeeTox unveil stem cell screening device Madison-based Cellular Dynamics International and CeeTox, of Kalamazoo, Mich., on Tuesday announced a stem cell screening device to check for heart problems in potential new drugs.

AhR Pharma, WARF sign license for cancer-fighting hormone developed on campus AhR Pharmaceuticals Inc. and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation have signed an exclusive license agreement for ITE, a natural hormone discovered by UW-Madison researchers with properties helpful in treating cancer, obesity and immune system disorders.

Monona company leading the way in LED efficiency: State Journal If the city of Monona, at night, looks brighter lately, Rob and Cynthia Everhart had a hand in that. Their growing Monona company, Energy Tech Solutions, provided the energy-efficient LED lights that now illuminate the exteriors of several city-owned buildings and parking lots and parks, from City Hall and the Fire Department to the community center, the skate park, the pool house, tennis courts and more.

Air Force expands use of Telkonet energy technology: Journal Sentinel The U.S. Air Force has expanded its use of energy-saving technology developed by Wauwatosa-based Telkonet Inc. at one of its bases. The Air Force had already contracted to install intelligent thermostats at more than 2,800 rooms on the base earlier this year, Telkonet said. The company said the savings achieved so far prompted the base to install them in 800 additional rooms.

Exact Sciences completes secondary stock offering: State Journal Exact Sciences Corp. of Madison said Monday it has completed its previously announced secondary public offering of common stock at a price of $9.75 per share.

Seely on science: Exploring the human side of nanotechnology In today's fast-moving technological world, some words can quickly lose their meaning. Take the word "nanotechnology," for example. We see and hear it all the time. But, other than a vague sense that some pretty amazing things are being done with very small things, most of us don't really have a handle on the promise of this science.

Latest on FatWallet move from Illinois to Wisconsin: WisBusiness.com FatWallet made big news last year when it jumped across the border (a mere five-mile hop) from Rockton, Ill., to Beloit. The move was due -- at least in part -- to a call from Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, who told Storm she would do just about anything to convince FatWallet to move.

Guest column: Microsoft exec on why updating to Windows 7 now makes sense It may surprise you to know that Microsoft isn't necessarily recommending that all businesses, organizations and consumer wait for Windows 8. In fact, the decision many PC users should make with confidence is to upgrade to Windows 7 first.