Leaders of five Madison startups began their week with a couple of days in sunny California, hobnobbing with venture capitalists and Badger alums.

It was the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce’s annual Silicon Valley trip, aimed at introducing West Coast investors to some of the talent in the Midwest.

Polco, the online citizen forum that won the chamber’s Pressure Chamber pitch contest in August for a guaranteed spot on the trip, and runner-up AkitaBox, with building management software, were among the participants.

 Joining them were: GrocerKey, with an e-commerce platform for grocery stores; Markable, with online clothes and accessories shopping; and Moxe Health, whose software helps health care providers share patient information with insurance companies. Read the full story here.