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September 3, 2020
Dear readers:
Young companies looking for ways to connect with investors may now apply to be a part of the 2020 Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium, which will be held virtually Nov. 9, 10 and 11. The first day will feature our “Investor Intros” speed dates, days two and three will include the five-minute Tech Council Investors Network presentations and the 90-second Elevator Pitch Olympics. It’s a streamlined application process with some valuable new features for young companies. Please read more below.
Also, please read my latest “Inside Wisconsin” column.
Inside Wisconsin: The clock is ‘Tiking’ on larger data privacy issue
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Make sure to check out our newsroom below for fast-changing information about Wisconsin's reopening process.
Stay tuned for announcements about virtual Tech Council webinars on COVID-19 issues of interest to our members and others.
Do you have news or best practices to contribute to a future edition of Tech Council Current?
Contact Laura@wisconsintechnologycouncil.com
Stay safe, wear your mask, and enjoy your weekend!
Tom Still, president
» NEW: please click here to update your subscription preferences for Tech Council communications!
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The 2020 Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium: Registration now open!
Applications are being accepted now from young companies that want to tell their stories to investors at our annual Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium #ESSWI, to be held Nov. 9-11 on a virtual platform.
The conference will focus on increased opportunities for emerging companies and startups to meet with investors 1:1, pitch and present their companies. Our virtual exhibitor booths will be enhanced time to meet with sponsors and others.
Read the “Call for Companies” press release here.
Watch for more information to come via the Tech Council Current, press releases and social media!
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The Tech Council is part of a statewide group that is tracking the progress of “The Endless Frontier Act,” which is a bipartisan federal bill aimed at dramatically boosting research and development assets in the United States.
Related to the federal proposal is a webinar series on how Midwest assets can help to drive a national recovery.
“Shaping the Endless Frontier: How the Midwest Can Spark the U.S. Economy” is hosted by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, the Wisconsin Technology Council, Michael Best Strategies and UW-Milwaukee.
What will The Endless Frontier Act do? / 11 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16
This 60-minute discussion will include congressional co-sponsors and advocates of the Endless Frontier Act who will explain why now is the time, and the Midwest is a leading place, for bold investments in science, technology and innovation. For the last century, the United States had been the undisputed, global leader in university and industry research. Our panelists will explain how targeted federal investment in emerging growth centers focused on quantum computing, artificial intelligence, biotechnology and manufacturing can extend and expand U.S. leadership into the 21st century and beyond.
U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis.
U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.
Chancellor Mark Mone, UW-Milwaukee
Dr. Melissa Skala, Investigator, Morgridge Institute for Research; Professor of Biomedical Engineering, UW–Madison
Tom Still (moderator), president, Wisconsin Technology Council
Register here!
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COVID-19
- Guardian: CDC tells health officials to expect a coronavirus vaccine by November
- Axios: America’s botched coronavirus response foretells a dark future
- CNBC: Fauci says U.S. coronavirus cases are ‘unacceptably high’ going into Labor Day
- Wall Street Journal: Steroids found to cut COVID-19 patient deaths
- STAT: Experts see a chance for a COVID-19 vaccine approval this fall – if it’s done right
- OnWisconsin: UW researchers on campus and beyond zero in on COVID-19 cure
- Guardian: Nasal swab followed by antibody test may catch incorrect COVID-19 diagnoses
- STAT: U.S. advisory group lays out detailed recommendations on how to prioritize vaccine
- InBusiness: URP suited to companies fighting COVID-19
ECONOMY
- Wisconsin State Journal: Mayor’s $161.6 million capital budget keeps Public Market on tracks, boots housing
- NPR: U.S. to owe more than the size of its economy for the first time in 75 years
- Economist: Internationally, COVID-19 is spurring the digitization of government
- Wall Street Journal: Jobless claims seen easing as economy begins to improve
- InBusiness: Visioning Black economic empowerment with Urban League’s Ruben Anthony
HEALTH
- CapTimes: Back on campus, COVID-19 challenges students’ mental health
- Channel3000: Madison doctor says ERs see decrease in visitors during pandemic
- STAT: Telehealth’s popularity grew amid COVID-19. Now visits are plunging and providers must recalibrate
- Economist: Young Americans are more worried than older ones about COVID-19
- WISN: Milwaukee Health Commissioner resigns, joins Trust for America’s Health in Washington D.C.
- STAT: Ego, ambition and turmoil: Inside one of biotech’s most secretive startups
- NYTimes: Food insecurity in America a looming crisis
- EUA: COVID-19 immediate response for healthcare facilities
ENTREPRENEURS + INNOVATION
- WisconsinINNO: West Allis startup creates virtual mall, same-day delivery for small businesses
- StateScoop: Naloxone inventory app gives clearer view of opioid epidemic
- CNET: Lifx Clean is a a new, $70 smart bulb that kills bacteria and disinfects your home
- StateScoop: Apple, Google: Contact tracing to become standard smartphone feature
- WisBusiness: The Podcast with Joe Boucher, co-founder of the Wisconsin Innovation Awards
INVESTING
- SCORE Green Bay: Tundra Angels provides wings to entrepreneurs
- Release: SHINE closes $80 million Series C financing supported by Fidelity Management and Research Company
- Release: Securities and Exchange Commission modernizes the ‘accredited investor’ definition
- WisBusiness: WWBIC to put Charter’s $1 million investment towards low-interest loans
- CNBC: Startup that uses wearables to track whether drugs are effective gets $100 million infusion, led by SoftBank
- Business Insider: Tesla’s new $5 billion capital raise could drive the auto industry crazy
EDUCATION
- Wisconsin State Journal: Public health department allows in-person school for children with disabilities
- NBC15: Department of Safety and Professional Services outlines cleaning protocols for schools
- UW-Madison:
- OnWisconsin: Badgers vs. the pandemic: Meet UW heroes in the fight against COVID-19
- Madison.com: Wisconsin fell from 12th to 24th on K-12 spending as Act 10 took effect
- CapTimes: Middleton student’s petition asks for pass/no pass grading during virtual learning
- Business Insider: FEMA will no longer cover cost of masks, disinfectant for schools
- UpNorthNews: With schools barely back in session, COVID-19 is already spreading
- PBS: At-home learning continues with virtual programming
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· Gov. Evers’ office regularly updates a statewide COVID-19 website that aggregates information and resources throughout state government, including the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. and the departments of Financial Institutions, Revenue and Workforce Development. Some specific sites:
· The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development produced this FAQ document.
· The Wisconsin Department of Revenue offers these information sources:
· The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has guidance for businesses.
· Wisconsin Department of Health Services: COVID-19 Outbreaks in Wisconsin
· NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) centers are providing services to small- and medium-sized manufacturers such as connecting businesses that are pivoting their production in response to the coronavirus to new supply chains, connecting firms with state resources, advising companies on new operational issues, and providing workforce support.
· “Wisconsin COVID-19 Startup Talent” is a new project to help those displaced from jobs and employers now hiring
· Wisconsin Hospital Association releases a COVID-19 dynamic Situational Awareness Update
· View an interactive map of public wi-fi “hot spots” in Wisconsin
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