Wisconsin Entrepreneurs' Conference

press release: SHINE Technologies founder and chief executive officer Greg Piefer will set the tone for the in-person return of the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference, June 1-2 in Milwaukee.

The conference, to be held at the Italian Community Center, returns to the Cream City to celebrate the region’s rise as a startup and scale-up hub. Registration is now open at witrepsconference.com or linked here.

Milwaukee native Piefer has a 15-year record of leadership in growth-stage tech companies, including Phoenix Nuclear Labs, where he managed development of high-output particle sources used for industrial imaging, and Gillware Inc., a leading data recovery and backup company.

On the morning of June 2, Piefer will describe progress at Janesville’s SHINE, which raised more than $360 million from investors in the last three years alone for its revolutionary, fusion-based technologies. An early application will be production of commonly used medical radioisotopes.

Piefer holds a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering and related degrees from the UW-Madison. A recent speaker at a White House summit on commercial fusion energy, Piefer has received the UW-Madison Early Career award; is the primary inventor on multiple patents; is author or co-author of many publications; and serves on several for-profit and non-profit board of directors.

“Putting early stage pieces together” is the theme of the 20^th annual conference, where entrepreneurs from around the state will showcase their innovations, services and technologies. Up to nine panel tracks formed under three unique stages of “launch,” “grow” and “succeed” will appeal to entrepreneurs in all stages. Detailed panel information will be posted soon at witrepsconference.com.

Produced by the Tech Council, the Entrepreneurs’ Conference is among the largest events for entrepreneurs and early stage investors in the Upper Midwest. Other highlights will include:

• Diligent Dozen: Top 12 finalists from the Governor’s Business Plan Contest square off on the afternoon of June 1 ^{(see more below)}
• Ken Hendricks Memorial “Seize the Day” 2022 award winner, to be announced
• Governor’s Business Plan Contest awards ceremony on June 2^nd
• Innovation Showcase featuring exhibits from Wisconsin companies
• A presentation by the winner of the Wisconsin YES! youth business plan contest, and;
• Plenty of chances to network with seasoned entrepreneurs and investors over food and refreshments, including a June 1^st reception.

Sponsors so far are: Aberdean Consulting, Affiliated Engineers, American Family Insurance, AT&T, Baird Capital, Baker Tilly, BDO, Center for Technology Commercialization, City of Fitchburg, DeWitt, Findorff, First Business Bankv, Godfrey & Kahn, Health Tradition, HealthX Ventures, Husch Blackwell, J.P. Morgan, Madison College, Madison Development Corp., Madison Gas & Electric, Makin' HEY!, Marquette University, Marshfield Clinic Health System, Mobile22, N29 Capital Partners, Neider & Boucher, Ogden Glazer + Schaefer, PDS, Perkins Coie, Quarles & Brady, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, Ruder Ware, Uber, University Research Park, UWM Research Foundation, UW-Madison Innovate Network, UW-Madison Office of Business Engagement, UW-Madison Office of University Relations, Venture Investors, Versiti, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., WIPFLi, Wisconsin Dept. of Financial Institutions, Wisconsin Technical College System and Zendesk.

To become a sponsor, contact Angela Schlobohm at angela@wisconsintechnologycouncil.com. For more information, visit witrepsconference.com or call 608-442-7557.

Finalists representing diverse tech-based sectors in Wisconsin’s early-stage economy will present from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 1. The four-month, staged contest culminates the following day with award announcements during the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference. The 13 contestants emerged from three rounds of judging in the contest organized through the Wisconsin Technology Council, which produces the contest in conjunction with its partners and sponsors. The contest began in late January with nearly 200 entries; more than 4,300 entries have been received since the contest began in 2004

This year’s finalists will deliver seven-minute pitches on their business ideas beginning 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 1. Winners will be announced June 2 during the closing of the Entrepreneurs’ Conference. To register for the conference at The Italian Community Center in Milwaukee, visit: WiTrepsConference.com

Entries were submitted in four categories: Advanced Manufacturing, Business Services, Information Technology and Life Sciences.

Advanced manufacturing ideas include an energy-efficient process to remove salt from water and convert it into valuable chemicals (such as caustic soda or bleach) and creating a sustainable resource recovery cycle; next-generation power plants and petrochemical facilities specializing in research and development of industrial components; and expanding traditional municipal infrastructure to include a decentralized, high-rate wastewater treatment technology to eliminate sewer overflows and basement backups.

Entries focused on business services include a web app that collects contract forms, extracts quantitative risk data using state of the art AI, and automatically produces Fortune 100 caliber outputs – a price any trade subcontractor can afford; a business-to-business wholesale marketplace that enables frictionless online transactions between RV, marine, powersports and automotive dealers – from dealer management system to delivery; and an engineering camp and events for middle-school girls, that exists to inspire and empower girls to see their potential as engineers, taught by female engineering role models.

Information technology plans include an immersive virtual reality experience for molecular design of pharmaceutical products with a platform that enables researchers to publish high quality images and integrate into their current workflow; a digital platform that knows the moment a consumer is finished with a product that allows consumers to scan product UPC barcodes to get varied recycling/composting guidelines based on geographic location; a wireless wristband of sensors, users will be able to directly interact with AR/VR experiences and more using a digital twin of their own hands, all powered by advanced machine learning and an e-government management software that has a suite of tools that helps cities conduct business digitally.

Life sciences plans include an over-the-counter, science-based pet nutraceutical for itch relief that you sprinkle on top of the pet’s food daily; an X-ray based tool that fits into existing interventional angiographic imaging suites and workflow that allows blood flow to quantify during interventions and potentially reduce patient contrast dose; and an over the counter hearing aid enabling people with mild to moderate hearing loss to rest, fit and adjust their devices without an audiologist.

Finalists submitted a 15-minute video pitch deck for review by a panel of about 70 judges and their scores on those video pitches will be a part of the final scoring. Each plan describes the core product or service, defines the customer base, estimates the size of the market, identifies competition, describes the management team, and provides key financial data.

Sponsors are contributing cash, office space, legal assistance, accounting, information technology consulting, marketing and more. About $2.5 million in cash and in-kind prizes have been awarded since the inception of the contest in 2004. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. is a major sponsor.

The 2022 “Diligent (Baker’s) Dozen” are listed below (Submission Name, Name, City (Work))

Angelo, Ryan Brown, Madison; Betterbin, Michelle Goetsch, Kronenwetter; ChloBis Water, Margaret Lumley, Madison; Cold Water Technologies, Jordan Sand, Verona; CompRex, Zhijun Jia, La Crosse;ContraDoc Inc., David Meyers, Brookfield; Contrast Dynamics, Erick Oberstar, Verona; FANTM, Finn Kuusisto, Madison; HeyGov,, Dustin Overbeck, Sturgeon Bay; My Hearing Care, Yi Hu, Milwaukee; Rapid Radicals Technology, William Schanen, Milwaukee; Reinventauctions.com, Todd Wilkins, Fontana; Stellar Tech Girls, Marina Bloomer, Madison