The founder of a Wisconsin company that is working to visualize how cancer cells respond to possible treatments, thus helping patients get help faster and more effectively, will speak June 6 at the annual Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference in Milwaukee.
Maneesh Arora, a serial entrepreneur whose company, Elephas, has raised $116 million in venture capital thus far and which recently partnered with the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center, will open the conference June 6 at Milwaukee’s Italian Community Center.
The 22nd annual conference will span parts of two days and returns to the Cream City to celebrate the region’s rise as a startup and scale-up hub within the Midwest.
Registration is open at witrepsconference.com.
Before founding Elephas in 2020, Maneesh was CEO of Farcast Biosciences, a venture-backed cancer diagnostics firm focused on improving treatment outcomes for cancer patients. He was previously chief operating officer at Exact Sciences Corp. in Madison for 10 years, where he helped lead the growth of the company from three people to more than 3,000 employees.
Prior to joining Exact in its earliest days, Arora worked for Third Wave Technologies Inc., a molecular diagnostics company, from 2003 until it was acquired by Hologic Inc. in July 2008. He holds degrees from the University of Chicago and Northwestern University.
It was announced in February that Elephas will partner with Mayo to develop an oncology imaging diagnostics platform to predict response to immunotherapy. The Elephas platform utilizes live patient biopsies with intact native tumor architecture and treats them with potential immunotherapies to predict response to treatment.
“From Milwaukee to Madison and beyond, we think Wisconsin has the right mix of health-related companies of all types to help combat some of the world’s worst diseases,” said Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council. “Maneesh Arora epitomizes why quality research and development in health care has an enduring home in Wisconsin.”
“Mapping the entrepreneurial mind” is the theme of the conference, where entrepreneurs from around the state will showcase their ideas, services and technologies. Six panel tracks formed under three unique stages of “launch,” “grow” and “succeed” will appeal to entrepreneurs in all stages. Detailed panel information will be posted soon at witrepsconference.com.
Produced by the Tech Council, the Entrepreneurs’ Conference is among the largest and affordable events for entrepreneurs and early stage investors in the Upper Midwest. Other highlights will include:
- Diligent Dozen: Top 12 finalists from the Governor’s Business Plan Contest square off on the afternoon of June 5
- Ken Hendricks Memorial “Seize the Day” 2024 award winner, to be announced
- Governor’s Business Plan Contest “Diligent Dozen” awards announcements June 6
- Innovation Showcase featuring exhibits from Wisconsin companies
- Plenty of chances to network with seasoned entrepreneurs and investors over food and refreshments, including a June 5 reception at the Italian Community Center
Sponsors thus far are: Affiliated Engineers, Apple, Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, AT&T, Baird Capital, Baker Tilly, BDO, Business Fitness, Center for Technology Commercialization, City of Fitchburg, CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen), DeWitt, Findorff, First Business Bank, Foley & Lardner, Godfrey & Kahn, Husch Blackwell, J.P. Morgan, Lost Boys Interactive, Madison Development Corp., Madison Gas & Electric, Makin’ HEY! Communications, Marquette University, N29 Capital Partners, Neider & Boucher, Perkins Coie, Quarles & Brady, Raven Software, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, Ruder Ware, Sadoff E-Recycling & Data Destruction, SustainableHR PEO, Technology Innovation Center – Milwaukee, University Research Park, UW-Madison Center for Dairy Research, UW-Madison College of Engineering, UW-Madison Innovate Network, UW-Madison Office of Business Engagement, UW-Madison Office of University Relations, VC3, Venture Investors, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, WE Energies, Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., Whitewater University Innovation Center, Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters, Wisconsin Counties Association, Wisconsin Technical College System and Yahara Software.
To become a sponsor, contact Angela Schlobohm at angela@wisconsintechnologycouncil.com. For more information, visit witrepsconference.com or call 608-442-7557.
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