“We want to fill the gap between angel investors and venture capitalists. We’re best friends with both. We’re not in competition with them.” David Guinther, WISC Partners, at the April 28 WIN-Madison meeting.

Angel capital report shows Great Lakes growth

The Madison Club will host a “Shark Tank”-style event June 9, with four startups selected to pitch to a panel that includes Joe Kremer, CEO of Isomark; Valerie Wulf, director of development at the University of Wisconsin Foundation and partner/attorney at Phenomenelle Angels Fund I; Shobhan Thakkar, partner at HealthX Ventures; and Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council. This will be a sanctioned investor event for those interested in investment opportunities. It is free to attend and open to the public, but please RSVP to 608-255-4861.

Emerging companies that are actively seeking funding and would like to be considered can email Becky Snyder at the Madison Club for more information on submitting an executive summary. Submissions are due Monday, May 4.

Daniel Einhorn, general partner of Capital Midwest Fund, will outline his firm’s investment priorities, opportunities in the region and why they are investing in Wisconsin, at the Thursday, May 7, meeting of the Wisconsin Innovation Network’s Northeast chapter in Appleton.

With help from Fox Valley Technical College, the luncheon will be held in the D.J. Bordini Center in Appleton on North Systems Dr . Registration and networking begin at 11:30 a.m., lunch at noon and the presentation at 12:30 p.m. Learn more and register here.

Come hear startup pitches from some of Milwaukee’s up-and-coming entrepreneurs emerging from the UW-Milwaukee at the Thursday, May 14, meeting of the Wisconsin Innovation Network’s Milwaukee chapter in Wauwatosa. Judges will provide light-hearted feedback to demonstrate what investors are looking for as they evaluate entrepreneurs based on their business pitch. Judges for this event will include: Tim Keane, managing director of the Golden Angels; Tom Schuster, managing general partner of Wisconsin Super Angel Fund; and Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council.

The evening event will take place at UW-Milwaukee’s Innovation Accelerator, 1225 Discovery Parkway. Registration, networking and hors d’oeuvres will begin at 4:30 p.m, with the presentations starting at 5:30 p.m. Learn more and register here.

Trends in health information and other health technologies will be the topic of a panel discussion Tuesday, May 19 at a meeting of the Wisconsin Innovation Network in Madison. Panelists include: Michael Barbouche, founder & CEO, Forward Health Group Inc.; Michael Eaton, president, Elli Health; Mark Gehring, co-founder, Propeller Health. Tom Still of the Tech Council will moderate as panelists discuss the importance of Madison’s fast-growing health-tech industry, as well as trends and challenges facing the industry and its benefits for people, communities and health-care institutions at home or abroad.

The luncheon will be held at the Sheraton Hotel on Madison’s John Nolen Drive. Registration and networking begin at 11:30 a.m., lunch at noon and the presentation at 12:30 p.m. Learn more and register here.

Jim Berbee to be honored at Wisconsin Entrepreneurs' Conference

Jim Berbee, founder of Madison-based Berbee Information Networks Corp. and who later embarked on a career in medicine, will receive the 12th annual Ken Hendricks Memorial “Seize the Day” award at the 2015 Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference.

Berbee will accept the award and speak at noon Tuesday, June 2, at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison.  Additional speakers and features will be announced in coming weeks, all under the theme of “Nurturing Entrepreneurial Roots.” Other highlights:

• A keynote presentation by Jerry Jendusa, co-founder and former CEO of EMTEQ and now a principal with STUCK LLC
• Diligent Dozen: Top 12 finalists from the Governor’s Business Plan Contest square off
• Panel discussions for emerging companies on how to “Launch, Grow and Succeed”

For more information on the conference and to register, visit www.witrepsconference.com. “Early bird” registration is open through May 11 and special hotel rates apply through early May.

Tokyo-based Fujifilm Holdings Corp. has successfully completed its share purchase, and Cellular Dynamics International Inc., a Madison maker of human cells, is now a wholly-owned subsidiary. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Abodo.com, a Madison startup that offers online apartment listings, has raised $923,000 of a planned $1.5 million funding round, according to a filing with federal securities regulators. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Two Madison health-related startups are poised to grow, with some added cash in the flow. Swallow Solutions has picked up $1.1 million from investors, while Healthfinch has gained $1.5 million. Wisconsin State Journal

Microscopy Innovations LLC, a Marshfield company that makes a system for preparing microscope specimens, has raised $750,000 from 10 investors, according to a document filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Madison-based Cellectar Biosciences has started testing one of its experimental drugs in patients with multiple myeloma, a plasma cell cancer. The Phase 1 proof-of-concept trial will study the impact of a small-molecule radiopharmaceutical meant to deliver a cancer-killing payload directly to the site of malignant tumors. (Xconomy)

Five Milwaukee-area universities received a $300,000 federal grant to launch a program to boost commercialization of campus ideas. Over the next three years, 90 entrepreneurial teams will try to validate their business ideas, find customers and connect with potential sources of funding. (Xconomy)

Menomonee Falls-based ZBB Energy announced a four-year agreement with Solar Power, in which ZBB will supply the Shanghai-based photovoltaic technology company with its energy storage systems. (Xconomy)

Baird Capital’s private equity group has invested an undisclosed amount in Alpha Source, a Milwaukee-based medical equipment manufacturer and distributor. (Xconomy)

Private equity firm LLR Partners invested an undisclosed amount in New Berlin-based WennSoft, which makes Microsoft-based software for workers providing services in the field, such as installation, maintenance, and repairs. (Xconomy)

After a pitch contest last week, three mobile apps proposed by teams from the Medical College of Wisconsin will be developed by UW-Milwaukee students. (Xconomy)

SnowShoe, a startup founded in Wisconsin, has raised a $1 million round and announced the release of new software to the public. (Xconomy)

Madison-based HealthMyne has received a $750,000 Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Science Foundation, and could win another $500,000 as part of the award. The announcement came a month after HealthMyne raised $4.5 million in a Series A round. (Xconomy)

Symphony Corp., the Wisconsin-based healthcare technology consultant with employees in the U.S. and India, is planning an incubator space in its Madison headquarters for healthtech startups. (Xconomy)

Catalyze, a Madison-based provider of cloud hosting and other services for the healthcare industry, has raised $4 million from investors, a new SEC filing shows. (Xconomy)