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March 2018
The Tech Council Current
News, events and programming from the Wisconsin Technology Council
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Dear readers-
In its fifth year, the Wisconsin Tech Summit continues to grow. Eighteen major companies will hold about 230 “speed date” meetings with about 80 emerging companies. Read on for details about the March 19 event. Our Wisconsin Governor’s Business Content is in full swing, and our Wisconsin YES! youth contest is approaching an April 2 entry deadline. In addition, upcoming Tech Council Innovation Network events will focus on manufacturing tech and a successful entrepreneur in northeast Wisconsin. Hope to see you soon!
Sincerely,
Tom Still, president
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Speakers who exemplify academic research and talent initiatives in the Milwaukee-Madison corridor and statewide will speak March 19 at the fifth annual Wisconsin Tech Summit in Waukesha. Phyllis King, part of the leadership of UW-Milwaukee, and Erik Iverson, the managing director of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, will bracket a day’s worth of “speed dating” meetings between major and emerging companies.
Registration is closed due to high demand.
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Fifty entries from 28 communities have advanced to the semi-final round of the 15th annual Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest, contest producers announced. The contestants were selected from a field of about 200 qualified first-round entries by an independent panel of 110 judges organized through the Wisconsin Technology Council and its programs, the Tech Council Innovation Network and the Tech Council Investor Networks. The semi-finalists reflect the diversity of Wisconsin’s economy and are spread among four broad categories: advanced manufacturing (11), business services (13), information technology (13) and life sciences (13).
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Helping Wisconsin manufacturers of all sizes compete by improving production processes, adding technology capacity and enhancing cybersecurity will be the theme of the Tuesday, March 27 Tech Council Innovation Network luncheon meeting in Madison. A panel of experts will describe the work of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, a 30-year-old federal program, and the National Institute of Standard and Technology, which provides advice on Internet of Things, blockchain and cybersecurity among other services and research.
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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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The countdown is under way for middle- and high-school students to enter Wisconsin Youth Entrepreneurs in Science, a statewide youth business plan contest modeled after the successful Governor’s Business Plan Contest. It is open for online entries from Wisconsin middle- and high-school students through 5 p.m. April 2, 2018. Public, private and home-schooled students across Wisconsin are eligible to turn their science- and tech-related ideas into business plans and compete for cash and prizes. The contest begins with a 250-word summary submitted through www.WisconsinYES.com.
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Force for Positive Change
Registration is open! Secure your seat for a day of engaging speakers, sessions and awards for social entrepreneurship. Speakers include representatives from American Family Insurance, Kickapoo Coffee Roasters, the Ashoka Foundation, Incourage, social enterprises of all kinds, Marquette University President MIchael Lovell and Wisconsin philanthropists John and Tashia Morgridge. Click here for more information and a full agenda.
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Wisconsin Strong
Learn more about partnerships between businesses and early care and education providers on April 17 at the Madison Central Library. Speakers include: Ann Stern, vice president of Tri-North Builders; Mark Tyler, CEO of OEM Fabrications; and Ruth Schmidt, executive director of WECA. Click here to learn more and register.
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The operations director is a key position at the Tech Council. You must have a passion for the mission, a willingness to work with people and an ability to communicate our message. Click here to see a few key elements of the position.
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Stay on top of the news and events coming out of the Tech Council.
Engage with us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook!
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TECH COUNCIL NEWS SERVICE:
News Roundup: Construction set to start soon on Foxconn’s new plant in Wisconsin
Milwaukee Business Journal: Fast-growing Milwaukee startup Bright Cellars ramps up hiring for growth
Release: Wisconsin Hospital Association report shows dropping rates of hospital-acquired infections in 2017
BizTimes Milwaukee: Marquette and WARF to award $100,000 to social entrepreneurship groups
Madison Startups: SBIR Advance Grant open for phase II projects
WisBusiness: Mercury Marine using data in new ways while pushing sustainability
Release: WiSys is seeking a strategic partner for a motion measuring device
Wisconsin Public Radio: Northern Wisconsin leaders frustrated with lack of broadband service and rates
WisBusiness: ThedaCare recognized for efforts to reduce heart attacks, strokes
WisBusiness: Business leaders, lawmakers sound the alarm on Trump’s call for tariffs
WARF: On the shoulders of giants: Innovation and the Wisconsin Idea the old-fashioned way
WisBusiness: WEA Trust: Increased member engagement results in lower healthcare spend
WisBusiness: WERCBench Labs: Launches 8-week program
Milwaukee Business Journal: Aurora Health Care to retain stake in insurance venture after merger with Advocate
WisBusiness: Report ranks Wisconsin slightly higher for health measures
BizTimes: Ward4 to celebrate female founders
BizTimes: Firefighter directional device wins $10,000 prize on ‘Project Pitch It’
Release: Wisconsin leaders unite around innovation and the Wisconsin Idea
WisBusiness: New imaging agent production system predicted to reduce shortage risk
WisconsinEye: Tech Council Innovation luncheon: Extending high-quality broadband
WisBusiness: Connect Americans Now: Applauds Wisconsin’s broadband resolution
WisBusiness: NEWaukee: Night Market returns for its fifth year on Wisconsin Avenue
BizTimes: gener8tor adds Cincinnati accelerator
Release: Dohmen to sell Dohmen Life Science Services to JLL Partners, Water Street Healthcare Partners
WisBusiness: TV white space could be used to expand rural broadband
BizTimes: David & Goliath – Corporations give startups a leg up
WisBusiness: Walker’s plan for Kimberly-Clark lauded by Fox Cities economic developer
TechCrunch: AT&T names Atlanta, Dallas and Waco first of 12 US cities to get 5G wireless
Green Bay Press Gazette: Co-working spaces close to opening downtown Green Bay up to innovators
WisPolitics: UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health: Mobile app reduced alcohol and drug use
Release: Understory Receives Patent for Mechanical Strain-Based Weather Sensor Technology
WisBusiness: gBETA expanding to Indianapolis
TOM STILL'S INSIDE WISCONSIN COLUMN:
InsideWis: Where broadband access is good, local businesses can go global
InsideWis: Wisconsin has much to lose if a true ‘trade war’ breaks out
InsideWis: Continued progress on Wisconsin broadband will require mix of technologies
InsideWis: In President Trump’s Washington, people in both parties looking for clarity
WISBUSINESS:THE SHOW:
Episode 200: Covers Tech Metrics, Tom Still commentary; interview with Dave Grandin
Episode 199: Covers Tech Metrics, Tom Still commentary; interview with Caitlin Lu
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Tom Still, Tech Council |

Caitlin Lu, Stripes Group
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INVESTORS' CORNER:
BizTimes: basic-code raises seed round
Milwaukee Business Journal: GE Healthcare deal in hand, Brookfield startup adding employees, raising millions
WisBusiness: Dohmen Constellations becomes state’s first benefit corporation
WEDC: Fewer companies securing investment in 2017 than in 2016
Release: Ideadvance Seed Fund Pursues Past & Present UW System Colleagues
WisBusiness: BrightStar Wisconsin Foundation: Announces new investments
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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
Justin Hart
Bruce Janda
Amit Ray
Jim Tarala
Adam Uselmann
Allyn Ziegenhagen
Jim Zirbel
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CORPORATE MEMBERS
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Need help finding the membership level right for you?
Contact Cassidy Wartenweiler, Development & Member Relations Director, at cassidy@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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