Twenty-seven finalists have been named for the 13th annual Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest.
The finalists represent a variety of sectors including software, agriculture, water technology, medical devices and manufacturing.
The contest, which is organized by the Wisconsin Technology Council and has the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation as a lead sponsor, started with 206 entries. There have been two rounds of judging to this point.
To be eligible for the contest, participants could not have raised more than $25,000 from professional angel and venture capital investors by the start of the contest. The 27 finalists are:
- Responsive Writing Solutions, Dave Clark, Shorewood
- Angio360 Diagnostics LLC, Stephanie Cossette, Wauwatosa
- Asto CT, David Ergun, Madison
- Hyde, Pat Hughes, Elm Grove
- Essential Biotechnology, Michael James, Big Bend
- The FarmVet Program, Abigail Jensen, Delavan
- Candid Brilliance Music, Jocelyn Kopac, Elkhorn
- Energy Balance, Joe Kremer, Madison
- Complete Phytochemical Solutions LLC, Christian Krueger, Cambridge
- Emonix, Zachary LaVallee, Madison
- GoFarm, Carl Lippert, Pittsville
- WeightUp Solutions, Daniel Litvak, Madison
- POLCO, Nick Mastronardi, Madison
- Fast Forward Forensics, Randy Nagy, Madison
- Lynx Biosciences, Chorom Pak, Madison
- Classmunity, Alana Platt, Whitefish Bay
- Mikroflot Technologies, Jose Ramirez, Milwaukee
- OptikTechnik, Jose Ramirez, Milwaukee
- ActiveEDU LLC, Jordan Rhodes, Oshkosh
- Iconac, Harrison Richarz, Milwaukee
- Riemer Systems, Dave Riemer, Whitewater
- Remex Static Mixer, Eric Ronning, Madison
- Doobert.com, Chris Roy, Pewaukee
- ThermoSphere, Austen Scudder, Milwaukee
- Compost Crusader LLC, Melissa Tashjian, Milwaukee
- AmebaGone Inc., Cheryl Vickroy, Madison
- Linectra, Brandon Walker, Madison
The finalists will submit 15- to 20-page business plans including the core product or service, customer base, size of the market, competition, management team and financial data. The top 12 will be announced in late May and will present to a panel of judges at the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference on June 7 in Madison.
Category winners and a grand prize winner will be announced the next day.
“This is an exciting range of finalists that are emblematic of Wisconsin’s vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem,” said Toni Sikes, Tech Council chairwoman. “Few contests can blend together industries as varied as life sciences, composting and music.”
Software and business service plans include systems and applications to authenticate and standardize bioactive compounds in foods and supplements; analyze water utilities’ real-time information; tune homes to operate at ideal temperatures; connect farmers and veterinarians; collect actionable data about a farm’s feeding system; and remove compostable products.
Entries focused on social or educational innovations include platforms to support animal rescues, shelters and the volunteers; track weightlifting performance data; help non-profit hospitals get children in their community more active; optimize writing processes to improve productivity and maintain brand integrity; broker live musical performances and instruction; vote and communicate with local government; and fund-raise for K-12 schools.
Manufacturing ideas include technologies for onsite treatment of industrial wastewater; continuous measurement of aggregation of particles or droplets in a liquid or gas; intelligent water softener control to replace flow-based systems; non-invasive, breath technology which enables immediate bio-feedback for weight management and sports training; a disposable nozzle for two-part adhesives; a three-dimensional metal printer to enable high resolution manufacturing within a large build volume; an inflatable life jacket; and a smart lock box to secure medications in the home.
Health-related plans include antibody-based cancer detection products utilizing tumor blood vessel growth biomarkers; a robotic-computed tomography device for equine veterinarians; a biopesticide platform; anti-CRR9 antibodies to inhibit lung and pancreatic tumor growth and sensitize tumors to chemotherapy; a new process for collection, identification, tracking, preservation, and processing of biological samples; and an ex-vivo microfluidic assay able to rapidly analyze the therapeutic response tumor cells.
