Ten Madison-area companies are among the 25 finalists in the Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest, including two winners in the UW’s Wisconsin Energy & Sustainability Challenge in February.

NovoMoto, bringing solar power to rural Africa, notched the first place Global Stewards Sustainability Prize and second place for the Dvorak Energy Prize.

Pyran, with a renewable way to produce a key chemical used to make paints and plastics, won second place in the Global Stewards Sustainability Prize.

Other Governor’s Business Plan finalists include: Atrility Medical, Madison – Devices to diagnose and treat irregular heartbeats; Trinity Gunshot Alarm System, Baraboo – Detects the sound of gunshots inside a building and calls emergency responders; and Replace-A-Lace, Rhinelander – Converts shoelaces to strap closures. Read the full story here.