A talented line-up of finalists in the eighth annual Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest will compete for the contest’s top cash and in-kind prizes during the June 7-8 Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference at The Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee.
To attend the competition and register for the conference, go to: http://www.wisconsintechnologycouncil.com/events/ent_conf/
Contestants will present beginning 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 7, at the Pfister, 424 E. Wisconsin Ave., and ending just before the evening reception. About $200,000 in cash and in-kind prizes will be awarded to those contestants and 13 other finalists. Winners will be announced at Wednesday’s conference luncheon. Presenting finalists are:
Suman Banerjee, WiRover Madison
Benjamin Bartling, Zoomshift Inc. Milwaukee
Patrick Heaney, NCD Coatings for Micro Tools Middleton
Pat James, DEMET Madison
Kevin Kreger, Kallows Milwaukee
Jim Maerzke, 21st Century Wheelchair Kenosha
Thomas Primiano, NanoOncology Madison
Amy Recob, The BugaBees Middleton
Amy Reno, Speechtails Wauwatosa
Brad Schwei, PureTech Systems Neenah
Jeffrey Smith, Kinetic Performance Systems Nashotah
Hans Sollinger, Insulete Madison
WiRover has developed an end-to-end software platform to deliver high-bandwidth Internet services to moving vehicles including public transit vehicles, emergency vehicles and automobiles.
Zoomshift Inc. has developed a web-based employee scheduling solution that changes how restaurants can manage their labor force. With the ZoomShift application, managers can easily create schedules online without having to worry about staff availability and schedule conflicts.
NCD Technologies has developed a process for decreasing thickness and improving the adhesion of nanocrystalline diamond coatings to tungsten carbide, micro-end mills. This process creates significant improvements in cutting performance, afforded by NCD coatings, that are commercially viable.
DEMET is refining its patent-pending scalable, modular technology to enable copper mines to use the vast stores of low-grade ore they currently cannot process economically.
Kallows Inc. is a mobile health start-up that has developed applications and peripherals that work with “smart phones” and tablets to monitor cardiac fitness and health.
21st Century Wheelchair uses the combination of linear-to-rotary motion conversion and levers to produce a user-powered wheelchair that is as capable as a battery powered wheelchair and more portable than a manually powered wheelchair.
NanoOncology addresses an unmet medical need in the cancer therapy market by developing a novel biological drug that targets genes expressed only in late-stage cancers, and preparing a nanoparticle system to deliver this drug. These two products are designed to target breast, prostate, colon, lung and skin cancers.
The BugaBees is a comprehensive line of interactive media, picture books and merchandise designed to teach kids how to manage both the physical and emotional consequences of living with food allergies.
Speechtails.com is an alternative speech therapy delivery vehicle. The company’s pilot product engages children in entertaining self-directed exercises, games and activities tailored to correcting their speech difficulty.
PureTech Systems manufactures and sells PurePak, a portable light-spraying system that applies any ready-to-use hospital grade disinfectant more effectively and at a lower cost compared to current methods of disinfection.
Kinetic Performance Systems is a new category of adhesive muscle support and pain relief products. The systems are easily applied directly by the consumer and have been designed and clinically tested using diagnostic ultrasound technology.
Insulete is an early stage biopharmaceutical company developing treatments for the Type 1 diabetes therapeutic markets. Insulete discovered a genetic construct that will focus on the treatment and cure of Type I diabetes.
This year’s contest sponsors: 5Nines/Matador Consulting; Aberdean Consulting LLC; American Transmission Co.; Associated Bank; Baird Venture Partners; Earth Information Technologies; EMM Holdings; Fitchburg Technology Campus; Functional Biosciences; The Gialamas Company; Kollath & Associates, CPAs; The Luminis Group, Ltd.; MRA – The Management Association; Madison Gas & Electric Co.; Marshfield Clinic; McAllen TEC Campus; Michael Best & Friedrich LLP; The Milwaukee Institute; The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel and Journal Interactive; Mortenson Construction; Murphy Desmond; Quarles & Brady LLP; Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c.; Ruedebusch Development & Construction; Smith & Gesteland LLP; State of Wisconsin Investment Board; TDS Telecom; University Research Park; Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation; Wisconsin Department of Commerce; WisBusiness.com; Wisconsin Angel Network; the Wisconsin Technology Council; and Xcel Energy.
Other highlights of the ninth annual Entrepreneurs’ Conference include:
- Headline speeches by Tim Kane of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; Jeff Rusinow, founder of Silicon Pastures; Joe Sweeney, author of “Networking is a Contact Sport;” and Mark Schmitz, principal and creative director of ZEBRADOG
- Ken Hendricks Memorial “Seize the Day” Award
- Hands-on panel discussions tailored to the needs of entrepreneurs
- “Start-up Café” offering one-on-one instruction on social media, lean start-up and mobile applications
- Plenty of chances to network over food and refreshments!
Register or learn more by visiting www.wisconsintechnologycouncil.com/events/ent_conf.
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