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April 2018
The Tech Council Current
News, events and programming from the Wisconsin Technology Council
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Dear readers-
A point of pride for the Wisconsin Technology Council is its work in the world of public policy. As an independent, non-profit organization, the Tech Council connects with policymakers at the state and federal levels to help them better understand trends in the tech sectors. Read on to learn how the Tech Council, through its bipartisan board of directors, is helping to produce a warmer climate for tech companies and their partners. The passage of AB-489 and AB-897 are the latest examples.
Sincerely,
Tom Still, president
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Powering bright ideas: Register for June 5-6, 2018 Entrepreneurs’ Conference
The 16th annual Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference will be held June 5-6, 2018 at the UW-Madison's Union South. The two-day conference is one of the Midwest’s premiere “how-to,” hands-on events for entrepreneurs of all ages and experience levels. Attendees range from ‘treps who are still developing their ideas to emerging company leaders who have already attracted angel and/or venture funding. Among those young firms will be the finalists in the 15th annual Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest.
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Twenty-five entries representing sectors as broad as social media, health technologies and innovations in products or services are competing in the finalist round of the 15th annual Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest. The contestants have survived two rounds of judging in the contest organized through the Wisconsin Technology Council and its sponsors and volunteers. “These finalists are emblematic of Wisconsin’s vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem,” said Greg Lynch, Tech Council chairman. “Few contests can blend together industries as varied as life sciences, composting, speech therapy and drones.”
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A bill to raise the lifetime ceiling on angel and venture capital investments in young companies eligible for Wisconsin’s successful early stage tax credit program was signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Scott Walker. Assembly Bill 489 had previously passed the state Assembly and Senate unanimously. Since 2005, Wisconsin has made 25 percent tax credits available to investors who put money into “Qualified New Business Ventures.” In short, a private investment of $4 in a QNBV company can yield a $1 state tax credit.
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Bill backed by Tech Council will end fees on capital raised by QNBV ‘foreign’ C corps
A bill to eliminate a longstanding and unique fee on angel and venture capital raised by qualifying C Corporations organized in states outside Wisconsin, mainly Delaware, was signed into law by Gov. Scott Walker Wednesday. Assembly Bill 897 and its Senate companion had previously passed the state Assembly and Senate unanimously. For decades, Wisconsin has charged a state fee on “paid-in” capital – essentially, venture and angel capital – raised by a certain class of companies. Called foreign C Corporations, these companies are domestic firms organized in another state but headquartered and producing goods and services in Wisconsin.
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Learn about being a high-impact entrepreneur in northeast Wisconsin from Craig Dickman, founder and former chief executive officer of Breakthrough Fuel, during the Thursday, April 12, meeting of the Tech Council Innovation Network in Appleton. Breakthrough Fuel is an energy management company that helps shippers around the world better manage costs through providing real-time fuel price data, effective fuel management strategies and transparency in procurement. The luncheon will be held at the Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton.
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With at least seven new electric vehicles poised to hit the market in 2018 and one young U.S. company expecting to sell its 200,000th vehicle this year, the EV evolution is well under way. Learn more from expert panelists at the Tuesday, April 17 Tech Council Innovation Network luncheon meeting in Madison. Panelists will include Patrick Bean, manager of utility engagement at Tesla, which manufacturers only electric vehicles; a representative from Madison Gas & Electric, and State Rep. Adam Neylon, R-Pewaukee.The luncheon will be held at the Sheraton Hotel, Madison.
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The 5th annual 2018 Wisconsin Tech Summit was held March 19 at the GE Healthcare Institute in Waukesha where 84 emerging companies applied to meet with 18 major firms. Over 230 speed-dates took place before the day was done, with valuable exchange of ideas, innovation and potential for partnerships, referrals and investing. Keynote speakers: Erik Iverson, Managing Director of Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation; Phyllis King, Vice Provost of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; along with six complementary Office Hours sessions gave attendees a range of valuable ideas to incorporate into their businesses. Click here for news coverage on this year’s summit.
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TECH COUNCIL NEWS SERVICE:
T4America: Madison selected as one of 22 smart cities
Inc: Wisconsin’s sizzling economy has created crippling labor shortage. team of productivity experts will solve it
JSOnline: 5 things to know about food delivery app EatStreet as its rapid national growth continues
WisBusiness: New report calls financial outlook for Racine ‘worrisome’
WisBusiness: The Podcast with Mike Semmann, co-founder for Advancing AI Wisconsin
Milwaukee Business Journal: Investing in Milwaukee’s college, K-12 system helps grow tech pipeline
Xconomy: PerBlue says it plans to launch ‘Disney Heroes’ game by end of year
Release: Discovery to Product welcomes a new director
Wisconsin State Journal: UW-Madison professor receives $425,000 grant to study entrepreneurship
Milwaukee Business Journal: Chris Abele thinking of adding second ‘Ward 4’ for startups in Milwaukee
BizTimes: Lumanu raises $1 million in seed funding
WARF: Rechargeable desalination battery
Release: gBETA northeast Wisconsin announces “spring 2018” companies
Release: Forward Technology Conference: Call for proposals
Release: Wisconsin innovation awards: Nominations now open
PR Newswire: Wisconsin tech industry added 2,250 jobs in 2017, boosted contribution to state’s economy
Wisconsin State Journal: Madison startup Understory ventures farther afield through venture with Monsanto
Wisconsin State Journal: Midwestern BioAg gets dream opportunity with new partnership with General Mills
CapTimes: Researcher entrepreneur bill among UW-related legislation to die without Senate action
WisBusiness: The Podcast with Peter Menet, COO of Menet Aero
WisBusiness: Evolving tech driving greater productivity, competition
WisBusiness: New program applies gener8tor model to music business
WisconsinInno: Four reasons these VCs are excited about Wisconsin’s tech economy
PRNewswire: PRNewswire: CompTIA: Wisconsin technology industry added 2,250 jobs in 2017
Milwaukee Business Journal: WisDOT awards $6M contract for project to support Foxconn development
WisBusiness: Aurora St. Luke’s uses new cardiac mapping system to treat heart disorders
WARF: Innovation and the Wisconsin Idea: From lab to bedside, Wisconsin Idea is all for good of patients
WisBusiness: Monsanto using weather-monitoring system from Madison startup
MMAC: Foxconn package returns $18 in economic impact for every $1 in state incentive
WisBusiness: UW-Madison computer science head expects disruption in state’s top industries
WisBusiness: The Podcast with Craig Davis, president and CEO of NovaScan
Release: Marquette, WARF announce 2018 ‘Force for Positive Change’ winners
WisBusiness: Connect Americans Now applauds passage of TV white space joint resolution
Release: BrightStar announces second year expansion of Hatch program
BizTimes: UW-Madison tops state universities in U.S. News grad school rankings
Business Journal: Billions of free federal dollars available, why aren’t more Wisconsin startups chasing it?
Release: Angels tell the truth: What makes a new company fundable
VentureBeat: Milwaukee’s startup community is growing with help from local and national organizations
WisBusiness: Foxconn announces contractors, designers
Release: Cellectar Biosciences Granted Orphan Drug Designation for CLR 131 to Treat Neuroblastoma
Release: Wisconsin congressmen back tech apprenticeships
WisBusiness: Wisconsin companies targeted by cyber attacks
WARF: Generating vasculogenic cell populations from human stem cells
JSOnline: Foxconn campus will serve as science, advanced technology park
WisBusiness: Water Council report shows increased efforts to grow water tech hub in southeastern Wisconsin
WisBusiness: Northwestern Mutual: Survey finds many women of color set financial sights on business ownership
Milwaukee Business Journal: UW-Milwaukee adds lab to support artificial intelligence, blockchain innovation
CapTimes: Madison to host caravan of nomadic tech workers this summer
Milwaukee Business Journal: The Dohmen Co. helps Chicago nonprofit bring tech-training program to Milwaukee
Milwaukee Business Journal: Local women STEM leaders talk challenges, offer advice
WisBusiness: WARF head excited for relationships between Foxconn, higher ed
WisBusiness: UW School of Public Health: New rankings show healthiest, least healthy counties in state
Milwaukee Business Journal: Expanded industries, new software brings growth for digital measures
WARF: UW/Industry partnerships yield better solutions
WARF: Implantable cancer drug delivery device signals the future of personalized medicine
TOM STILL'S INSIDE WISCONSIN COLUMN:
InsideWis: Outside Wisconsin’s biggest cities, academic research growing in prominence
InsideWis: In the long run, autonomous vehicles safer for pedestrians, bikers
InsideWis: Most votes in the Legislature are bipartisan, even when the debate is not
InsideWis: In Wisconsin’s quest to produce more workers and startups, don’t forget liberal arts
WISBUSINESS:THE SHOW:
Episode 202: Covers Tech Metrics, Tom Still commentary; interview with OnLume’s Uselmann
Episode 201: Covers Tech Metrics, Tom Still commentary; interview with Lightweight’s Jendusa |
Tom Still, Tech Council |
Jim Jendusa,
Lightweight Structures
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INVESTORS' CORNER:
WisBusiness: BrightStar Wisconsin invests nearly $5.9 million in 2017
Milwaukee Business Journal: Higher VC tax credits, robots to deliver goods: Policies that can boost state tech
BioEnterprise: Midwest healthcare companies raise a record breaking $2.5 billion In 2017
BizTimes: Tim Keane to receive BizTimes Lifetime Achievement Award
Release: Curate raises $450,000 in seed funding led by Idea Fund of La Crosse
BizTimes: Private equity firm Cimbria Capital opens office at Global Water Center
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GET INVOLVED:
Tech Council Innovation Network membership:
Experience for yourself why the Innovation Network has been a Tech Council tradition for over a decade. With more than two dozen events annually, you'll expand your network while learning from top-notch speakers. When
you become a member, your membership applies to all chapters,
statewide. With a variety of membership types to choose from, you and/or your
company will be sure to find a membership that fits your business goals.
Join today!
Thank you to the following
individuals and organizations that have recently joined or renewed their memberships:
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS
Marcia Brooks
Chester Kolodziej
Alan Hartman
Erin Ogden
Roger Orlady
Tom Voell
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CORPORATE MEMBERS
Wolf Track Ventures
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Need help finding the membership level right for you?
Contact Angela Schlobohm, development & member relations director, at angela@wisconsintechnologycouncil.com or 608-442-7557.
Tech Council Investor Networks membership:
Your $750 Investor Networks membership entitles you to
one free pass to both major conferences (Entrepreneurs'
Conference and Early Stage Symposium), as well as regular Tech Council Innovation Network events.
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