MILWAUKEE – A talented line-up of finalists in the sixth annual Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest will compete for the contest’s top cash and in-kind prizes Tuesday during the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference at the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee. To attend the competition and register for the conference, go to: http://www.wisconsintechnologycouncil.com/events/ent_conf/

The following contestants will present between 10 a.m. and noon Tuesday at the Hyatt Regency, 300 W. Kilbourn.  More than $200,000 in cash and in-kind prizes will be awarded to those contestants and 12 other finalists. Winners will be announced at a Tuesday evening awards banquet sponsored by Michael, Best & Friedrich. Wisconsin Commerce Secretary Dick Leinenkugel will speak:

Ophir Ben-Yitschak, Scopia                        Information Technology
Mike Casper, FLEx                              Advanced Manufacturing     
Brian Cole, Innovative Sports Strategies            Information Technology
Scott Daigger, Sandbox International LLC            Business Services
Behnam Ghasemzadeh, Orion Neuroceuticals      Life Sciences
Jim Martin, Green 3 Organic Apparel            Business Services
Michael Miller, NxtMile Custom Running Shoes      Advanced Manufacturing
Kyle Montgomery, AquaMost                  Life Sciences
Dan Norton, PLEX Labs                        Information Technology
Bonnie Reinke, Eso-Technologies, Inc.            Life Sciences
CJ Schmidt, Concrete Crack Reducer                  Advanced Manufacturing
Rishi Shah, Flying Cart LLC                        Business Services

Scopia is a global travel network, developing innovative online software solutions in two main areas:  intermodal itineraries, which integrate air, ground and sea transportation modes into a single trip, and multi-fare level pricing from multiple sources and programs.

FLEx has developed a patent portfolio around cost-effective methods of capturing and diffusing LED light over a wide area, with applications in backlighting (such LCD TV), general illumination, and specialty signage. The initial target is the LCD TV backlighting industry.
Innovative Sports Strategies has developed software, called Elevation, that will serve as a budgeting, accounting, reporting and benchmarking tool in the $1 billion college athletic financial management market. 

Sandbox International LLC is a software-intensive firm within the marketing research industry. It has developed a properity Web application to help market researchers identify creative individuals to participate in consumer co-creation initiatives.

Orion Neuroceuticals has a first-in-class schizophrenia drug lead and a proprietary drug discovery and optimization technology for developing this and other central nervous system drugs.

Green 3 Organic Apparel designs, sources, markets and distributes environmentally friendly apparel and soft home products through a nationwide network of specialty stores, as well as global catalog retailers such as Sundance, the Discovery Channel and others.
 
NxtMile Custom Running Shoes are engineered and custom assembled to address the specific biomechanical and orthopedic needs of over-40 and experienced runners, helping them to prevent injury. NxtMile utilizes proprietary pressure-mapping technology.

AquaMost was formed to commercialize a novel, advanced water treatment technology called photoelectrocatalytic oxidation. The company has demonstrated the process efficiently and economically destroys numerous water-borne pathogens and pollutants.  

PLEX Labs is a game development studio dedicated to creating next generation learning games that combine best practices in commercial game development with contemporary knowledge in the learning sciences.

Eso-Technologies’ goal is to launch an important new esophageal cardiac monitoring device for surgical and critical care applications within three years. The company aims to replace an existing product, which is an invasive pulmonary artery catheter 

Concrete Crack Reducer (FiberMX) will capitalize on a huge demand for a  green fiber by offering a low cost blend of recycled cellulose and synthetic fiber.  It is recovered from paper mill sludge, recycled paper and nylon from post-consumer carpet. 

Flying Cart LLC is a complete solution for creating a successful small online retail business. Merchants get a store website with credit card processing, an administrative interface for managing products and orders, as well as marketing tools, community and business training.

All finalists have survived three rounds of judging in the contest organized through the Wisconsin Technology Council, which produces the contest in conjunction with the Wisconsin Innovation Network, the Wisconsin Angel Network and other statewide affiliates. The contest began in late January with a record 326 entries from about 100 communities.