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Jan. 2018
The Tech Council Current
News, events and programming from the Wisconsin Technology Council
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Dear readers-
The new year is off to a fast start at the Wisconsin Technology Council, where our board and team is working on a mix of events, policy initiatives and more to keep Wisconsin’s tech-based economy on the move. The agenda includes the 15th Governor’s Business Plan Contest, the 5th Wisconsin Tech Summit, our Tech Council Innovation Network meetings and efforts to improve the state’s angel and venture capital climate. Read on to learn how the Tech Council is working for its members and the state.
Sincerely,
Tom Still, president
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The 15th annual Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest is accepting entries online for the 2018 competition until 5 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018. contest is designed to encourage entrepreneurs in the startup stage of tech-based businesses in Wisconsin. The contest links up-and-coming entrepreneurs with a statewide network of community resources, expert advice and mentoring, management talent and possible sources of capital.
Two workshops are scheduled for people who would like to learn more about entering:
- Learn how to succeed in 2018 Biz Plan Contest from past winners at Jan. 11 Tech Council event
Three competitors from past statewide contests will talk about their experiences in the Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest at the Thursday, Jan. 11 luncheon meeting of the Tech Council’s Innovation Network in Wauwatosa. On hand will be: Janet Phillips, CEO and co-founder of Vector Surgical; Alana Platt, CEO and co-founder of Classmunity; and Henry Schwartz, owner and founder of MobCraft Beer.
- Industrious is site for Jan. 25 BPC Madison workshop
Join us at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at Industrious in Madison to learn more about the 2018 Business Plan Contest. Tom Still, Tech Council president, and Jonathan Fritz, Chief Strategy Officer of Symphony Corp. and 14-time contest judge, will offer an overview of the contest and the benefits of participating, as well as answer attendees’ questions. There is no charge to attend. Appetizers will be provided.
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Emerging companies may apply through Feb. 14 to meet with major firms and explore potential business relationships around technology needs and innovation as part of the fifth annual Wisconsin Tech Summit. The day-long event will be held Monday, March 19, 2018 at the GE Healthcare Institute in Waukesha, Wis. More information, including an application form, can be found at www.wistechsummit.com. Repeat emerging companies are welcome to apply.
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The president of the first U.S. company to offer its employees a chance to wear a skin-implanted microchip will speak at the Tuesday, Jan. 23 luncheon meeting of the Tech Council Innovation Network in Madison. Patrick McMullan, president of Three Square Chip Companies, will describe how – and why – more than half of Three Square Markets’ 80 employees agreed to be outfitted with chips in their hands. The technology replaces identification cards and can be used to open doors, operate office equipment or pay for snacks in the company break room. R. Alta Charo, the Warren P. Knowles professor of law at the UW-Madison, will offer perspectives and describe emerging trends. The luncheon will be held at the Sheraton Hotel on Madison’s John Nolen Dr.
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An objective of the Wisconsin Technology Council since the early 2000s, non-stop service connecting the Silicon Valley tech hub to Madison and Wisconsin, will be launched at the Dane County Regional Airport this summer. A news conference to announce the start of a daily United Airlines flight to-and-from San Francisco was held Monday morning at the airport in Madison. “The Tech Council has long recognized the importance of direct service to Wisconsin’s major airports and worked through Dane County Regional Airport Director Brad Livingston over time to make the market-based case for such service to the airlines,” said Tom Still, president of the Tech Council.
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‘Wisconsin YES!’ student business plan contest open for middle, high school entries through April 2
Wisconsin Youth Entrepreneurs in Science, a statewide youth business plan contest modeled after the successful Governor’s Business Plan Contest, 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. Entries that advance to Phase 2 of the competition will expand their idea into a 1,000-word executive summary. Throughout the process, students get feedback from professionals across Wisconsin who will serve as judges.
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The Wisconsin Technology Council is participating in the 2018 CompTIA D.C. Fly-In, which is organized by the Technology Councils of North America and the Computing Technology Industry Association. Tom Still, president of the Tech Council, will attend this two-day event in Washington, D.C., to represent Wisconsin’s technology-related companies and our members who share a goal of growing the technology sectors in Wisconsin. The fly-in takes place Feb. 13-14, 2018, and will include visits to congressional offices. For more information, click here.
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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:
WisBusiness: Dodles testing app for animation, social connection
WisPolitics: Connect Americans Now: New coalition aims to eliminate the digital divide in rural Wisconsin
JSOnline: Wisconsin groups join Microsoft’s effort to close the rural broadband gap
Wisconsin State Journal: Madison’s tech economy fares well in nationwide survey
Wisconsin State Journal: Madison firms Ideas That Evoke, DotCom Therapy gain national recognition
Wisconsin State Journal: Rapid Imaging, an augmented reality company, moves HQ to the Madison area
Madison Magazine: Local entrepreneurial ecosystem made strides this year
Journal Sentinel: From Foxconn to sausage makers, Wisconsin companies in expansion mode
Milwaukee Business Journal: See the 50 top WEDC-backed projects of 2017: Year in Review
Oshkosh Northwestern: On your phone too much? This UWO senior has an app for that (Pyxsee)
Release: Tech Council notes highlights of federal tax reform bill
Release: Tech Council applauds F-35A decision for Madison’s Truax Field
Milwaukee Business Journal: Foxconn seeks free-trade zone status for Mount Pleasant plant
Release: Tech Council events filled stockings in 2017; 2018 holds more
Madison Startups: NovoMoto completes M-WERC accelerator program
DataChat: After gBETA, UW professor’s latest startup aims to ride chatbot wave
Business Wire: TripleCare to introduce telemedicine services in three skilled nursing facilities
WisBusiness: EnsoData finds better way to monitor sleep studies
BizTimes: MWERC awards $20,000 to energy startups
WisBusiness: On-site clinic reducing cost of care
WARF: D2P shifts focus, as fund for investing in UW entrepreneurs dries up
WisBusiness: The Podcast with Dave Geisler, CEO of Rapid Imaging
BizTimes: Skills Pipeline and Startup Milwaukee launch tech internship program
WisBusiness: Madison business leaders see incoming millennial talent
Xconomy: EmOpti aims to help patients in ER get seen by doctors more quickly
WisBusiness: Dodles testing app for animation, social connection
WisBusiness: WEDC: UWM receives $900,000 state grant for new institute
ChicagoINNO: Midwest tech update: How the Rise of the Rest Affects “the rest”
WisBusiness: EnsoData finds better way to monitor sleep studies
WisBusiness: Getting a head start in competitive construction business is Curate’s goal
TOM STILL'S INSIDE WISCONSIN COLUMN:
Inside Wis: After 15 years, business plan contest still helping young companies compete
InsideWis: Tech trends for 2018: It’s still all about people
InsideWis: Holiday perks includes naughty and nice in Wisconsin politics
Inside Wis: Net neutrality debate not as cut and dried as many believe
WISBUSINESS:THE SHOW:
Episode 197: Covers Tech Metrics, Tom Still commentary; interview with Todd Asmuth
Episode 196: Covers Tech Metrics, Tom Still commentary; interview with investor Andy Walker
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Tom Still,
Tech Council |

Andy Walker,
Rock River Capital Partners
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INVESTORS' CORNER:
WisBusiness: Over $100 million in capital available through PACE program
WisBusiness: Bankers Strongly Optimistic and Confident on Wisconsin Economy; Now and for 2018
Wisconsin State Journal: American Family Insurance buys Chicago software firm
BizTimes: Latino staffing startup raising $180,000 seed round
BizTimes: Tim Sullivan’s tech startup sold to private equity firm
BizTimes: Becoming an angel investor
New York Times: From Bezos to Walton, big investors back fund for ‘flyover’ start-ups
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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
Gregory Bird
Tom Kenevan
Kristina Koslosky
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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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