MADISON – Fifty-two entries from 26
communities have advanced to the semi-final round of the 11th annual Wisconsin Governor’s
Business Plan Contest, contest producers announced Wednesday.
The contestants were selected from a field of 292
first-round entries by an independent panel of more than 80 judges organized
through the Wisconsin Technology Council and its programs, the Wisconsin Innovation
Network and the Wisconsin Angel Network.
The semi-finalists reflect the
diversity of Wisconsin’s economy and are spread among four broad categories:
advanced manufacturing (14), business services (10), information technology (14)
and life sciences (14).
Water technologies, health information technologies, software
solutions, agriculture, products and processes for manufacturing, and medical
devices, imaging and treatments were sectors that drew a number of entries. The
contest also attracted entries focused on sports and recreation innovations –
including the state’s brewing industry.
“Trends reflected in the top 52 entries match up well with
Wisconsin’s traditional and emerging strengths,” said Toni Sikes, chair of the
Tech Council and co-founder of CODAworx. “Good ideas come from all high-growth
sectors of the economy.”
The 52 entries competing in Phase 2 of the contest will
write executive summaries of no more than 1,000 words. Each summary describes
the core product or service, defines the customer base, estimates the size of
the market, identifies competition, lists members of the management team and
provides key financial data.
Read this story in the Wisconsin State Journal here.
Once Phase 2 judging is complete in early April, the 52
entries may be made available for inspection by accredited investors through
the Wisconsin Angel Network, which has more than two-dozen angel networks,
private equity funds or corporate strategic partners. About two-dozen plans
will move on to Phase 3, in which contestants will write a full 15- to 20-page
business plan.
The top dozen contestants will give live presentations at
the annual Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference on June 3 at the Alliant Energy
Center in Madison. Category winners, as well as the 2014 Grand Prize Winner,
will be announced during the BPC Awards Luncheon on June 4.
Sponsors are contributing cash, office space, legal
assistance, accounting, information technology consulting, marketing and more. About $1.7 million in cash and in-kind prizes have been
awarded since the inception of the contest. The Wisconsin Economic
Development Corp. is a major sponsor.
Additional sponsors of the 2014 contest thus far include:
100state; 5Nines; Aberdean Consulting; American Family Insurance; American
Transmission Company; AT&T; BDO; Cleantech Open; Cresa Madison; Exact
Sciences; Kollath & Associates; Madison Gas & Electric; Makin’ HEY
Communications; Marshfield Clinic Applied Sciences; Michael Best &
Friedrich; Mortenson Construction; Murphy Desmond; Pieper Properties; Reinhart
Boerner Van Deuren; Revelation PR, Advertising & Social Media; Smith &
Gesteland; Tweedee Productions; University Research Park; and UW-Madison Office
of Corporate Relations.
Here are the 2014 semi-finalists in the Wisconsin Governor’s
Business Plan Contest. Reporters wishing
to contact individual contestants may do so through the Wisconsin Technology
Council by calling 608-442-7557.
Contestant Idea Abstract City
Uma
Avinash MaxiROi Menomonee
Falls
Bob
Baddeley BlueTipz Madison
Joe Balistreri Dairyvative
Technology Verona
Troy
Berg Reportly La Crosse
Patrick
Beyer Trinity Imaging Systems Berlin
David
Buslee Bar-Ele Delafield
Melinda
Caughill 65
Incorporated Mequon
Adam
Cohen MagneTag Milwaukee
Marianna
DeMyer Roving Blue Lena
Kathleen
End Sproutr Milwaukee
Marcin
Filutowicz Amebagone LLC Madison
Alex
Francis E-Trap Milwaukee
Trevor
Ghylin Microbe
Detectives Milwaukee
Jeremy
Hach The Mobile Canning
Company Middleton
Michael
Hitchcock Buyer Active Madison
Shajan
John NEW Works Milwaukee
Heather
Johnston Find My Spot Milwaukee
Nick
Jones pHinding
SolutIONS/Intellisensor Madison
Austin
Kadulski FilterVolt Green Bay
Laura
King Elucent
Medical Madison
Kelly
Laux Menubuilder Oshkosh
Thom
Lemmenes Siliri Princeton
Jim
Maerzke 5D
Wheelchair Kenosha
Kiernan
McGowan Zero Nine Madison
Jim
McSweeney HE System Technologies Willowbrook, IL
Laura
Mitchell GrandCare
Systems West Bend
Michael
Mitchell TAI Diagnostics Elm
Grove
Ben Moga Tasso Inc. Madison
Jeffrey
Ockuly NeuroSolis Madison
Allen
Oelschlaeger Content XLerator Milwaukee
Tavis
Parker The Game
Crafter Madison
Peter
Petit Hermetica
No-Fog Seal for Windows Pewaukee
Judy
Reinhold Kaliber
Imaging Inc. Elgin, IL
Andrew
Reyment Moxilla
– SyKlowd Green Bay
David
Rice Rice Technology
LLC Milwaukee
Will
Robus Little
Green Pencil Madison
Jonathan
Rodriguez Propsero Biosciences Sun Prairie
Pradeep
Rohatgi Lightweight
Composite Castings Milwaukee
Jon
Sandbrook Pan Genome
Systems Inc. Madison
Eric
Schmuck Non-cellular
biomaterial for chronic would healing Sun
Prairie
Richard
Schramer Hovertoon Berlin
Henry Schwartz MobCraft Beer LLC Madison
Sarah
Stefanos W2E Wisconsin Madison
Menachem
Tabanpour NRU LLC Madison
Shobhan
Thakkar Stop Searching and Start Finding
– Candalytics Monona
Matthew
Urvoy Ijinus Milwaukee
Scott Vanderbeck Pathology
software to aid diagnosis of fatty liver disease Oak Creek
Steven
Visuri FloraSeq Waukesha
Eric Weiss
Right on
Target Media Fond du Lac
Monika
Wingate Digsite McFarland
Bruce
Winkler WebRacing
LLC Madison
Liz
Worthey Codicem
Genomics Germantown
;
