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The Entrepreneurs' Toolkit, a soup-to-nuts guide for Wisconsin entrepreneurs, is available at www.WItoolkit.com and through the Wisconsin Technology Council website. It was launched in April and is designed to give innovators a pathway to resources available in the state and beyond. Those resources include information on business assistance programs, sources of financing, permits and regulations, how to choose a business structure, how to write a business plan and more.
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Welcome to the December 2012 WIN eNewsletter |
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Dear Reader:
It's been a productive late fall for the Wisconsin Technology Council and its programs:
- The Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium attracted 488 attendees.
- The Tech Council's biennial "white papers" report was published. It helps to inform state policymakers and set a tech-based economic development agenda.
- The 10th annual Wisconsin Governor's Business Plan Contest has just opened for entries.
- Our 2012 Wisconsin Innovation Network schedule closes with two Dec. 13 events in Milwaukee and Oshkosh.
Read more on these and other stories below. Thank you for your support of Wisconsin's high-growth economy and our programs throughout the year! We're looking ahead to an active and prosperous 2013.
Sincerely,
Tom Still, president |
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2013 Governor's Business Plan Contest open for entries |
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 The 10th annual Wisconsin Governor's Business Plan Contest is accepting entries online for the 2013 competition through Jan. 31, 2013. The contest is designed to help entrepreneurs turn their ideas into business plans, to prepare them to launch a company, to get feedback from mentors and to interact with investors and other professionals. Finalists will share in more than $100,000 in cash and in-kind prizes. Since its inception in 2004, nearly 2,300 entries have been received and about $1.5 million in cash and services (such as legal, accounting, office space and marketing) have been awarded. Contest categories are Advanced Manufacturing, Business Services, Information Technology and Life Sciences. Learn more here.
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Early stage capital is topic at Dec. 13 WIN-Milwaukee meeting |
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Creating an early stage capital program that works for Wisconsin - from seed to venture - will be a priority in the next session of Legislature. Hear from a panel of experts about the efforts to create a state-leveraged plan that would attract more private capital and help Wisconsin's emerging companies thrive at the Thursday, Dec. 13 meeting of the WIN-Milwaukee chapter. Register here. |
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Investors to review student plans at Dec. 13 WIN-Northeast |
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Using technologies from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and U.S. Agricultural Research Services, students at UW-Oshkosh will unveil their business plans for commercializing those federal technologies Dec. 13 at the UW-Oshkosh Tech Showcase, to be held as a meeting of the Wisconsin Innovation Network's Northeast chapter. The event will be held at Sage Hall 1216, 845 High Ave., on the UW-Oshkosh campus. Registration and networking begin at 5 p.m. Register here. |
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Tech Council 'white papers' focus on four growth strategies |
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Wisconsin needs a four-pronged strategy for building its "high-growth economy," according to a report released Nov. 7 by the Wisconsin Technology Council. The 44-page report, "The future is now: Four strategies for Wisconsin's high-growth economy," calls for:
* Improving access to capital for Wisconsin entrepreneurs.
* Improving technology development, delivery and transfer.
* Building Wisconsin's supply of human capital.
* Enhancing Wisconsin's startup and business climate.
Read the Wisconsin State Journal article here and the Wisconsin Technology Council release here. Click here to view the full report. |
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Search underway for new Wisconsin Angel Network director |
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Zach Brandon, who has headed the Wisconsin Technology Council's Wisconsin Angel Network since early 2011, became president of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce effective Nov. 26. A search is underway for his successor. Click here to view the position description. |
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WERC exec to speak Jan. 9 at Wisconsin Cleantech Network |
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John Bobrowich, executive director and chief executive officer of the Wisconsin Energy Research Consortium, will speak on the organization's strategic plan to expand alternative energy and conservation in Wisconsin and throughout the Midwest at the next meeting of the Wisconsin Cleantech Network. The Jan. 9 forum will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the J. Galt Pub at Wood Communications Group, 4801 South Biltmore Lane on Madison's far East Side. Register here. |
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'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.
This episode was filmed on site from the Early Stage Symposium at Madison's Monona Terrace. Liz Schrum interviews Larry Landweber, charter member of the Internet Hall of Fame; Tom Still gives his predictions for a potential early stage funding bill; and the WisBusiness.com Stock Report features health care technology and Oshkosh Corp.
Coming later this week: An interview with Jay Singer, the group head for U.S. commercial products at MasterCard Worldwide and one of the company's top executives for transferring technologies from emerging firms and academic institutions to the marketplace.
Click here to view the biweekly show, produced by Tweedee Productions for the Wisconsin Technology Council and WisBusiness.com, as well as our archives of past shows. The show is sponsored by BMO Harris Bank, Madison Gas & Electric, Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C., and the UW-Milwaukee.
Guests on other recent shows:
Doug Nelson, BMO Harris Bank
Reed Hall, Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.
Linda Hoff, Physicians Plus Insurance Corp.
Paul Jadin, Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.
Nancy Pautsch, Core BTS
Scott Mosley, Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.
Rimas Buinevicius, Rowheels
Brad Livingston, Dane County Regional Airport
Justin Sisley, Scootercabs
Bruce Maas, UW-Madison
Holly Hawkins, Tri-North Builders
Molly Lahr, Wisconsin Innovation Network |
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Inside Wisconsin columns tackle state, tech issues |
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 Tech Council President Tom Still shares insights on technology, the economy and politics through "Inside Wisconsin." Here are some recent columns:
The United States is well on its way to becoming virtually energy independent in less than two decades, in no small part because "fracking" and other technologies are unlocking new supplies of oil and natural gas within our borders. That's great news for an economy that seems permanently stuck in neutral. However, it's unnerving for those who believe prolonged reliance on fossil fuels will curb conservation, reduce innovation and accelerate potentially disastrous climate change.
Somewhere along the evolutionary path from startups to mature businesses, many companies stop innovating. There are exceptions to the rule, of course, especially in big companies that are learning how to strike a balance. A ready example of a major company striving to remain innovative was on display in Madison last week when Jay Singer, a New York-based executive for MasterCard Worldwide, spoke to the Wisconsin Innovation Network.
With help from people around the world, the National Academy of Sciences a few years back outlined 14 "grand challenges" for engineering in the 21st century... any one of which, if met, could improve how we live. Wisconsin scientists, researchers and companies are positioned to help with those challenges, especially if existing public and private resources are efficiently aligned.
Welcome to Wisconsin's evolving startup economy, where traditional powerhouses such as medical imaging and biotechnology are making room for companies in other sectors.
Last week's launch of the Titan supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory illustrates how Wisconsin researchers and companies are linked to big data, either as providers of systems that implement its use or as end users.
It's hard to find a Mitt Romney or Barack Obama mask for Halloween that's not made in China. I discovered that the other day while costume shopping. It was an ironic reminder of the gap between the reality of trade and the election-year rhetoric surrounding it. |
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Innovation news round-up
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Business Journal: UW-Madison fourth in research spending
The University of Wisconsin-Madison remains near the top of the class in spending for research, but has slipped one place in rankings to No. 4. UW-Madison, with more than $1.1 billion in research expenditures for fiscal 2011, ranked behind Johns Hopkins University, the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and the University of Washington at Seattle, according to a press release.
Biotech company Virent, now thriving in a 72,000-square-foot facility, got its start in a 600-square-foot cubicle at a Madison business incubator. NeuWave Medical started with office space in the same Madison incubator with a handful of engineers. It, too, has moved out and employs about 35. Mike Mathews, president of Economic Growth Advisors of Middleton and Janesville's consultant for its new incubator, spoke about the Madison success stories when asked about the future of the Janesville Innovation Center , which is set to open in January.
Compact Particle Acceleration Corp. (CPAC), a company created as an offshoot of Madison-based TomoTherapy, has clinched its first potential client. CPAC said it has received a letter of intent for one of the first proton therapy systems from Southwest Oncology Centers, with locations in Arizona, Minnesota and Mexico.
Wisconsin has a number of assets attractive to global investment says the head of an advising group to the legislature and governor. As evidence, Tom Still of the Wisconsin Technology Council cites the Chinese investment firm PiYi that visited Wisconsin and other states in September.
John Byrnes, managing director of Mason Wells and a former member of the Wisconsin Technology Council, talked about the state's efforts to spark more venture capital investment during an "Executive Q&A" interview with Kathleen Gallagher of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Click here to read the Nov. 24 story.
More than 100 startups applied by the Nov. 21 deadline to become part of the winter class of gener8tor, an accelerator program for young tech businesses, in Madison and Milwaukee. Five to 10 companies will be chosen for the class, which will be held at the program's Madison office, 1 E. Main St., and will run from Jan. 4 through March 28, co-founder Joe Kirgues said.
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. said Wednesday it has approved $1.75 million of technology development loans for eight start-ups and tax credits for investors in nine other companies.
A fund to help start-up companies is likely on the agenda this state legislative session after a similar bill failed last time around. Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council, is optimistic such a proposal will pass this.
A new company making a high-speed, accurate and user-friendly instrument that reveals the molecular structure of proteins, drugs, and other important materials is the latest spinoff from the University of Wisconsin-Madison chemistry department.
The 2012 Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium attracted 488 attendees over two days. Thanks to all who participated! Read and watch all the coverage of the conference here. This includes interviews with conference speakers, stories on the prospects for a state-leveraged early stage investment program, and columns and features on presenting companies.
A state program approved $11.17 million in tax credits last year for 50 early-stage companies that leveraged more than $44 million in outside investment, according to a new report by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.
The Wisconsin Entrepreneurs' Network has recently been awarded a 2012 Federal and State Technology (FAST) grant from the Small Business Administration (SBA) to continue its work as the premiere provider of SBIR services in Wisconsin. Building on a successful history of FAST grant awards leading to improved client successes in acquiring federal funding, WEN is committed to assist small, Wisconsin, technology-based firms in the successful commercialization of cutting edge innovation. |
| Get WIN-volved! Membership has its privileges | |
 The 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:
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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 Molly Lahr, WIN Director for more information .
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 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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The Wisconsin Innovation Network (WIN) eNewsletter is a periodical of news, events and programs about the needs and challenges faced by new and growing technology-based businesses in Wisconsin. WIN has chapters in western Wisconsin, the Lake Superior region, Madison, Milwaukee, northeast Wisconsin and central Wisconsin.
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E-mail: news@wisconsintechnologycouncil.com
Phone: (608)442-7557
Fax: (608)231-6877
Web: http://www.wisconsintechnologycouncil.com |
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