A number of UW–Madison spinouts and organizations were honorees on Wisconsin Inno’s 50 on Fire, a list of entrepreneurs, executives, startups, and businesses that have had a banner year—whether due to new funding, product launches, big hires or innovative approaches to solving problems. The list is shaped by nominations from across the state, and several breakout groups are selected as “Inno Blazers” at a reception in Milwaukee which took place last week. See the full 50 on Fire list here.
UW–Madison affiliated honorees:
Abby Taubner (BBA, UW–Madison School of Business) was recognized for her work co-founding gener8tor’s gBETA accelerator program, a free accelerator for early stage startups that has supported many UW–Madison spinouts. Inno Blazer winner
AkitaBox made the list with a nod to new executive leadership that brings an impressive track record to the team. The company offers facility management software and data collection and was co-founded by Luke Perkerwicz (BBA, UW–Madison School of Business).
More about AkitaBox
- https://www.channel3000.com/madison-magazine/home-and-lifestyle/akitabox-continues-to-foster-growth-in-its-third-year-in-business/797705349
- https://madison.com/akitabox-employee-engagement-central-to-success/article_943696ce-233a-540f-bfd1-3dfddf76ffba.html
C-Motive is a startup launched by two professors of Electrical and Computer engineering at the Wisconsin Electric Machines and Power Electronics Consortium within the University of Wisconsin, Dan Ludois and Justin Reed. The company has created the first commercially viable electrostatic motor.
More about C-Motive
Dianomi Therapeutics is part of the Forward BIO Initiative, a collaboration of UW-Madison, the state’s economic development organization and the biohealth industry. Based on research from the lab of UW-Madison biomedical engineering professor Bill Murphy, Dianomi’s technology has the potential to improve efficacy and safety profiles of a wide range of drug molecules targeting rheumatology & autoimmune diseases.
More about Dianomi Therapeutics
- https://madison.com/wsj/business/making-drugs-more-effective-madison-startup-dianomi-therapeutics-draws-a/article_29600c19-5c2d-5717-8cfd-54427535b7db.html
- https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2019/04/30/madison-biotech-company-spun-from-roche-raises-10m.html
Discovery to Product is a program within UW–Madison’s office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education that helps faculty, staff, and student innovators bring their ideas for impactful products or novel approaches to social problems to the marketplace. Director Andy Richards was recognized for spearheading the first UW–Madison Startup Week with partners in the University’s new Innovate Network in November.
More about D2P
- http://www.madisonstartups.com/uw-launches-innovate-network/
- https://www.americaninno.com/wisconsin/inno-insights-wisconsin/uw-madison-to-hold-startup-week-to-spotlight-campus-entrepreneurship/
Fetch Rewards was founded by UW alums Wes Schroll and Tyler Kennedy while they were undergrads. Fetch is an app that a brand loyalty program that awards points for purchases that can be converted into gift cards. Schroll and Kennedy were also recently named to Forbes’ prestigious 30 under 30 list. Inno Blazer Winner
More about Fetch Rewards
- https://news.wisc.edu/seeking-grocery-shopper-loyalty-fetch-rewards-is-obsessed-with-simple/
- https://madison.com/wsj/business/madison-based-startup-founders-named-to-forbes-under/article_ebfe1a8e-0211-505a-ade7-c442078e4c31.html
GreenBay Technologies develops products that use machine learning and AI to automate complex data management tasks. It was co-founded by AnHai Doan, a professor in UW-Madison’s Department of Computer Science, and two of his PhD students, Yash Govind and Derek Paulsen.
More about GreenBay Technologies
- https://www.americaninno.com/wisconsin/wisconsin-startups/madison-ai-startup-to-expand-with-backing-from-california-tech-company/
- https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2019/09/09/ai-startup-founded-at-uw-madison-finds-investor-in.html
Health Payment Systems is a Milwaukee-based startup that was co-founded by James Brindley, who received both his BS and JD degrees at UW–Madison at the start of his career. HPS offers solutions to enhance the consumer healthcare billing and payments experience, while driving value to healthcare providers, health insurance companies and employers.
More about Health Payment Systems
- https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/health-care/2017/04/29/hps-unites-simplifies-patients-medical-bills/100741212/
- https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2019/06/03/how-ai-expedites-easier-consumer-health-payments/
Holos develops virtual reality and augmented reality content for use in educational settings. The startup was founded by Dan Borkus and Tyler Waite during their undergraduate studies.
More about Holos
- https://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2019/03/07/madison-startup-testing-augmented-virtual-reality.html
- https://madison.com/wsj/business/local-tech-startups-to-pilot-projects-for-the-u-s/article_ea326425-c592-5e5c-9662-e4224253f8e8.html
ImageMoverMD has developed technology that automates and simplifies medical image management and collection. The startup was founded by Richard Bruce and Gary Wendt, full-time radiologists at the UW–Madison School of Medicine and Public Health.
More about ImageMoverMD
- https://news.wisc.edu/app-offers-fast-track-for-inserting-photos-into-medical-record/
- https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/imagemovermd-raises-4-million-to-automatically-connect-medical-images-with-electronic-patient-records-300792629.html
LÜM is a music-streaming platform and social network for local and emerging musicians. The app was developed by a group of UW–Madison students and alumni, led by Max Fergus (BBA, UW–Madison School of Business).
More about LÜM
- https://madison.com/ct/business/technology/l-m-a-madison-startup-launches-its-music-streaming-platform/article_676221ae-58b7-5316-abcd-66097b6eb62f.html
- https://biztimes.com/project-pitch-it-lum-in-expansion-mode-after-launching-app/
Propeller Health is a startup that makes software that helps patients better manage asthma, COPD and other respiratory diseases. Propeller Health was founded by Dr. David Van Sickle while he was the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health and Society Scholar at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
More about Propeller Health
- https://news.wisc.edu/marriage-made-in-heaven-digital-inhaler-add-on-offers-slick-aid-to-asthma-care/
- https://isthmus.com/news/news/propeller-health-van-sickle-digital-treatment-asthma/
Phoenix LLC and SHINE Medical Technologies are two nuclear medicine startups founded by Greg Piefer, who earned a Ph.D. in engineering physics at UW–Madison. SHINE produces medical isotopes for diagnosis of cancer, heart disease and other conditions, and Phoenix builds fusion-based neutron generators.
More about Phoenix and SHINE
- https://news.wisc.edu/60380-2/http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/First-neutron-accelerator-delivered-to-Mo99-facili
- https://news.wisc.edu/expanded-role-for-uw-madison-reactor-adds-value-to-industry/
- https://physicstoday.scitation.org/do/10.1063/PT.6.2.20191115b/full/
SwanLeap was founded by Engineering alum Brad Hollister. Dubbed “the eBay of freight” by Inc. magazine, SwanLeap was also been recognized as the fastest growing company in the U.S. earlier this year.
More about SwanLeap
- https://www.inc.com/magazine/201809/jeff-bercovici/2018-inc5000-swanleap.html
- https://www.jsonline.com/story/money/business/2018/12/13/swanleap-fastest-growing-company-us-brad-hollister-jason-swanson/2217600002/
Understory is a weather measurement and monitoring service that was co-founded by Alex Kubicek and Bryan Dow during their graduate studies at UW–Madison. The company recently came back home to Madison after getting their start in Boston. Inno Blazer Winner
More about Understory
- https://madison.com/wsj/business/madison-startup-understory-shifts-to-providing-weather-insurance-coverage/article_6c8daa2b-b0ff-59cd-afb1-c1774462e77e.html
- https://xconomy.com/wisconsin/2019/05/14/weather-tech-qa-understory-ceo-on-ground-truth-climate-change/
Wisconsin Investment Partners is an angel investment group based in Madison that was co-founded by Dick Leazer (former head of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation) and Terry Sivesind, who received both his BS and MBA at UW–Madison. Wisconsin Investment Partners’ portfolio includes more than $25 million in investments, with a focus on life sciences companies, software, advanced manufacturing and health IT.
More about Wisconsin Investment Partners
Congratulations, Badgers!