Startups developed at UW–Madison were recognized last week at the Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest award ceremony during the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference in Milwaukee. The pitch competition is designed to encourage entrepreneurs in the startup stages of tech-based businesses. Five of the final 13 companies began at UW–Madison, including grand prize winner SixLine Semiconductor. Other UW–Madison winners: Chocolate Rescue for Dogs, Flux XII, Güd Medical, and IQDecide. These companies advanced their innovations through UW–Madison Innovate Network programs and organizations such as:
- Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF)
- Discovery to Product (D2P)
- Morgridge Entrepreneurial Bootcamp (MEB)
- Center for Technology Commercialization (CTC)
“UW-Madison has an extensive entrepreneurial ecosystem and exceptional resources for innovators starting companies,” says Katy Jinkins, CEO of SixLine Semiconductor. The company and my entrepreneurial journey benefited greatly from Discovery to Product (D2P) mentoring, support from WARF, and training through the Morgridge Entrepreneurial Bootcamp.”
“Congratulations to all five UW–Madison winners and their impressive showing at this competition. It’s gratifying to see the hard work and dedication of our technology innovators receive early-stage recognition,” says Discovery to Product Director Andy Richards. “Thank you to the Governor’s Business Plan Contest for supporting the development of groundbreaking new companies at UW-Madison and throughout Wisconsin.”
“UW–Madison’s unique and complementary resources help foster innovative companies. We’re proud of SixLine Semiconductor and the Governor’s Business Plan Contest winners who have engaged with our entrepreneurship programs,” says Dan Olszewski, Director of the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship at the Wisconsin School of Business. “This is the third time alumni of Morgridge Entrepreneurship Bootcamp walked away with the top prize at the event.”
UW–Madison startup winners:
Chocolate Rescue for Dogs (Second place, Life Sciences; Bright New Idea award)
Providing a safe and fast-acting at-home remedy for chocolate ingestion in dogs.
Flux XII (Second place, Advanced Manufacturing)
Building sustainable batteries for renewable long-duration energy storage.
Güd Medical (Third place, Life Sciences)
Developing an ergonomic and precision syringe adapter that allows medical professionals to administer medications with increased accuracy and comfort.
IQDecide (First place, Information Technology)
Bringing quantitative information to cancer treatment, optimizing patient benefits, and minimizing risk.
SixLine Semiconductor (Grand prize; First place, Advanced Manufacturing)
Commercializing breakthroughs in carbon nanotube processing to unlock the next generation of high-performance, cost-effective semiconductor devices.