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In This Edition
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Welcome
Early bird registration ends Oct. 16
Ag industry innovation at WIN-NE
Shark Tank style event Oct.15
Tech at your table, Oct. 27 WIN-MSN
WTC board meeting at UW-Platteville
1 Million Cups Madison
'WisBusiness: The Show'
Wisconsin YES featured at fall event
WARF's 90th anniversary
Nov. 19 Sauk County event
Inside Wisconsin columns
Get WIN-volved
Innovation news round-up
Snapshot events calendar
Sponsor a regional meeting
Promote your events
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WisBusiness: The Show
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Click here for the latest episode of "WisBusiness: The Show," which includes Tech Metrics, commentary and an interview with a state business leader. The show is produced by Red Arrow Production and is sponsored by UW-Milwaukee.
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Entrepreneurs' Toolkit |
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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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Upcoming WIN Events |
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WIN-Northeast
Fox Valley Tech. College, Appleton
October 15, 2015
WIN-Madison
Sheraton Hotel, Madison
October 27, 2015
Have program ideas for your regional WIN chapter?
Let us know
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Join WIN |
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Click here to read more about member benefits and join today!
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2015 WIN Event Sponsors |
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BMO Harris Bank
Fox Valley Technical College
UW-Milwaukee
UWM Research Foundation
Interested in sponsoring WIN events?
Contact Maurice Cheeks
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Sponsor the Newsletter! |
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Newsletter sponsored by:
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Quick Links |
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Inside Wisconsin
Tom Still's column
More about the
Wisconsin Technology Council
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Our Major Sponsors |
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Other major sponsors include:
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| Welcome to the October 2015 WIN eNewsletter |
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Dear readers-
New to the Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium this year is the Wisconsin WOMEN (Women, Opportunity, Mentors, Entrepreneurs Networking) Reception to be held Tuesday, Nov. 3, to precede the conference. We’re thrilled that Sue Marks, a serial entrepreneur who now leads Cielo and its nearly 1,300 employees, will speak at the reception on her experiences as a woman executive and the following morning on Cielo, Pinstripe and other endeavors. It’s free to full conference registrants and $50 for others. Join us as we kick off an exciting Early Stage Symposium!
Sincerely,
Tom Still, president
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Last chance for early bird rate at Early Stage Symposium
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Don't miss the early bird registration for the 2015 Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium, to be held Nov. 4-5 at the Monona Terrace Community & Convention Center in Madison. It's Wisconsin's oldest and largest event for companies seeking investors. Mike Splinter, former CEO and chairman of Applied Materials, will speak during the annual SBIR/STTR Awards Luncheon on Nov. 4. Zach Halmstad, founder of JAMF Software and UW-Eau Claire graduate, will speak at 9 a.m. on Nov. 5. Sue Marks, founder of Pinstripe and CEO of Cielo, will speak at a Nov. 3 WOMEN (Women, Opportunity, Mentors, Entrepreneurs, Networking) Reception and again Nov. 4 to kick off the conference. Other speakers and highlight will be announced in coming weeks. Stay tuned!
Additional conference elements include:
Learn more and register at www.wisearlystage.com by Oct. 16 to receive the discounted rate. Click here and book your hotel room by Oct. 13 to receive the discounted rate. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Maurice Cheeks.
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Ag industry innovation topic at Oct. 15 WIN-NE luncheon in Appleton
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Learn how technology and innovation are reshaping one of Wisconsin’s oldest industries – agriculture, from the farm to the food shelves – at the Thursday, Oct. 15 meeting of the Wisconsin Innovation Network in Appleton. Speakers from the state Department Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and Square Harvest will address the WIN-Northeast chapter and describe how “food-tech” is creating opportunities for entrepreneurs. The luncheon will be held in the D.J. Bordini Center at the Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton on North Systems 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.
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| 'Shark Tank'-style event Oct. 15 to feature pitches, WAN presentation |
The Madison Club will host a “Shark Tank”-style event Oct. 15, with three startups selected to pitch. Listen in as investors ask tough questions to evaluate each business opportunity, giving you insight on the criteria used when considering a new venture. 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.
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Tech and your table: Trends in getting fed for Oct. 27 WIN-MSN
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Trends and innovation in the food and grocery industry will be the topic of a panel discussion at the Tuesday, Oct. 27, meeting of the Wisconsin Innovation Network in Madison. Industry experts will share their vision for how our experience of buying food may never be the same. Panelists include: Wes Schroll, co-founder and CEO, Fetch Rewards; Brandon Scholz, president and CEO, Wisconsin Grocer's Association; Tim Philosophos, angel investor in Fetch Rewards and Eat Street. 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.
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UW-Platteville to host Wisconsin Technology Council board meeting
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The Wisconsin Technology Council will meet Tuesday, Oct. 13 at UW-Platteville for its quarterly board of directors meeting. Thanks to Chancellor Dennis Shields and others at UW-Platteville for hosting the meeting, as well as a community reception to be held Monday, Oct. 12 in Platteville. The 5:30 p.m. Monday reception will be held in Russell Hall where more than 40 attendees from area businesses, government and UW-Platteville faculty will view a metal casting demonstration by Dr. Kyle Metzloff. The Tech Council board meeting will focus on board resolutions related to the future of higher education in Wisconsin, remarks by U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., and more.
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| Tech Council partners with 1 Million Cups Madison |
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Wisconsin Technology Council is pleased to support 1 Million Cups
Madison, which is a free, weekly program to help startups pitch their
businesses to an audience over coffee. Madison meetings of 1 Million
Cups are held 9:15 a.m. Wednesdays at the Madison Central Library. Click here to learn more. |
| '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 of “WisBusiness.com: The Show” features an interview with Aaron Olver, director of University Research Park, to talk about the progress of Wisconsin’s oldest and largest tech park. Tom Still busts a few myths about Wisconsin’s startup world and Liz Schrum presents this week's Tech Metrics, a look at key indicators in the Wisconsin economy.
Olver, University Research Park
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Click here to view the biweekly show, produced by Red Arrow Production for the Tech Council and WisBusiness.com, as well as archives of past shows. The show is sponsored by UW-Milwaukee and Exact Sciences.
Guests on recent shows:
Scott Vander Sanden, AT&T
Bram Daelemans, Wisconsin Angel Network
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| Wisconsin YES! featured at state school business officers' fall event |
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Tech
Council President Tom Still spoke Oct. 8 to about 270 school district
professionals and service affiliates at the annual Wisconsin Association
of School Business Officials’ fall conference in Elkhart Lake on the
benefits of getting students involved in the Wisconsin YES
youth business plan contest. Open to middle and high school students in
the state, the contest fosters interest in science and tech education
and encourages students to be independent, creative thinkers.
Participants receive feedback from experienced business professionals
along the way and compete for cash and prizes! Learn more at http://www.wisconsinyes.com/. |
| WARF 90th: The Rational for Basic Research |
Join the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation as it marks the organization's 90th anniversary with an Oct. 14th reception at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery. Established in 1925 as the independent patenting and licensing arm of the UW-Madison, WARF is hosting a special edition of its "Essential Topics Series" focused on elements of the cycle of innovation: research, discovery, commercialization and investment. The first event of the series will feature research. Panelists
include, Judith Kimble, professor of biochemistry; John Hawks,
professor anthropology; Richie Davidson, professor of psychology. Click
here to learn more and register before Monday, Oct. 12.
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| Tech Council's Still to speak at Sauk County Nov. 19 event |
| Tech Council President Tom Still will speak at "#nextgensaukcounty," a Nov. 19 event in Baraboo sponsored by the Sauk County Development Corp. The 5:30 p.m. event will be held at the Baraboo Arts Banquet & Convention Center. The focus of Still's remarks and others will be attracting and retaining young workers in Sauk County. For more information or to register, contact Keri Olson at kolson@co.sauk.wi.us |
| Inside Wisconsin columns tackle state, tech issues |
Inside Wis: The Exact Science stock plunge: Taking the long view
Such is the inexact science of trying to make sense of why the stock of Exact Sciences, a Madison-based cancer diagnostics company, took a nosedive Tuesday over a draft report from an independent healthcare review panel. Stockholders and others who follow the company may want to take a deep breath before concluding the stock plunge is anything more than a speed bump in what has been an otherwise fast and smooth road for Exact Sciences.
Still in JSOnline: Standing up for principle has its limits
The latest example of standing on principle over pragmatism is the debate over the Export-Import Bank, a little-known federal agency that provides billions of dollars annually in loan guarantees and other financial support for U.S. exports.
Here was my attempt to dispel a few of those folklores at the recent Healthcare Innovation Pitch, which was held in Milwaukee’s renovated Ward4 incubator and sponsored by a coalition of academic research and medical technology groups.
In northern Wisconsin, the formula for economic prosperity can be very different from the blend that works in other parts of the state. Finding the right mix was the topic of the first Grow North Strategy Forum, where a group of business owners and managers, educators, government leaders and economic development experts gathered to talk about challenges and opportunities in the North Woods.
What Milwaukee has is nearly two-dozen colleges and universities that collectively educate about 180,000 students across a spectrum of disciplines, including virtually all of the so-called "STEM" fields — science, technology, engineering and math — needed in today's innovation economy.
How do those young companies find interested and qualified investors? One time-tested way is to make a company presentation at the Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium.
Wisconsin’s workforce challenges are well-documented: Baby boomers are aging out of their careers and “brain drain,” while often overstated, is costing the state some of its young talent. A bigger problem may be Wisconsin’s industry mix. Are its dominant industries – agriculture, manufacturing and tourism – sectors in which major job and pay growth is expected?
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| Get WIN-volved! Membership has its privileges |
Thank you to the following individuals and organizations that have recently joined or renewed their WIN memberships:
Click here to fill out an online application to become a new member or renew your current membership!
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| Innovation news round-up |
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Xconomy: Northeast WI angel investor group launches to create, fund spinoffs
Xconomy: Breakout labs welcomes startups in food, health, metals, adhesives
Madison Startups: Redox a winner in Health 2.0 Competition
Stratatech awarded contract valued up to $247 million for StrataGraft®
State Journal: Don't limit worker choice unnecessarily
JSOnline: UW-Madison ranks 16th in world in venture-backed entrepreneurs
JSOnline: Medical entrepreneurs will make pitches for start-up grants
Xconomy: Badger Fund of Funds leader: Small Ball is best way to play
Read press coverage of the Sept. 22 WIN-Madison (Badger Fund of Funds)
BizJournal: WEDC wins SBA grant to help Wisconsin exporters
WisBusiness: Badger Fund of Funds ready to launch
Cap Times: With state ranked 50th in startup activity, VC pushes local investment
JSOnline: Emotional investing blamed for state's poor venture capital performance
HealthZette: The Surgeon You Should Know
WisBusiness: Lovell looks to boost Marquette research
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Snapshot events calendar
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| Sponsor your next regional meeting |
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 Maurice Cheeks for more information.
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| Post events in our community events section |
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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