Fourth Annual Event Celebrates the State’s Most Innovative Products and Services
MADISON, Wis. (October 5, 2017) – Last night, ten winners were honored from the thirty finalists and more than 230 nominees during the 2017 Wisconsin Innovation Awards at the Wisconsin Union Terrace. The ceremony, emceed by local entrepreneur and former UW Badgers Wide Receiver, Brandon Williams, recognized the state’s most innovative products and services from nine industry categories. The 2017 winners were selected from a panel of 23 experts from around Wisconsin, and span all business sectors – technology, food, healthcare, agriculture, nonprofits, education, government, and the like – throughout the state.
“The Wisconsin Innovation Awards seek to celebrate and inspire innovation, and highlight the creative spirit from the state’s leading public, private and nonprofit sectors,” said Matt Younkle, Co-Founder of the Wisconsin Innovation Awards and CEO of Cardigan, LLC. “We want to congratulate all finalists and winners from the 2017 Wisconsin Innovation Awards, and look forward to encouraging an even greater environment of innovation in the year to come.”
The 2017 Wisconsin Innovation Awards Ceremony were presented by American Family Insurance and supported by Exact Sciences, First Business Bank, Green Clock Films, JP Cullen, Neider & Boucher, Props Unlimited, and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, with support from the Irwin A. and Robert D. Goodman Foundation, HealthX Ventures, Teel Plastics, and WARF.
The 2017 Wisconsin Innovation Awards Winners:
Agriculture
Midwestern BioAg
Madison
TerraNu Nutrient Technology is a breakthrough manufacturing process that gives crop producers easy access to manure-sourced nutrients from livestock farms, closing the nutrient imbalance in American farming.
Biotech
VibeTech, Inc.
Sheboygan
The VibeTech One semi recumbent physical therapy system is a robotic leg press machine which applies therapeutic vibration through the feet and legs of patients recovering from injury and surgery or experiencing weakness and frailty due to aging or disability. Patients get the benefits of weight bearing exercise with or without putting forth any effort, depending on which rehabilitation program is selected by the therapist providing the treatment.
Business to Consumer
Fix Development, LLC
Milwaukee
Fix Development creates private-sector, main street commercial real estate projects that generate social, environmental and financial returns through two primary tools: teaching local residents and businesses how to rebuild places and create businesses by partnering with our experienced team; and, crowd-funding: raising money from ourselves and not relying on traditional financial institutions, public subsidy, or philanthropy.
Education
UW Law & Entrepreneurship Clinic
Madison
The University of Wisconsin Law & Entrepreneurship Clinic (“L&E Clinic”) assists an average of 300 startups each year throughout the state of Wisconsin by using second and third year law students to provide free legal services. L&E Clinic works across a diversity of industries and with a wide diversity of startup founders with three goals: to provide a challenging experience to the students, to provide quality legal work for clients, and to provide an economic benefit to the state of Wisconsin.
Healthcare
DotCom Therapy
Madison
DotCom Therapy connects students and patients to a certified speech-language pathologist through an encrypted online platform. Clients access quality therapists via live videoconferencing who are customized to their treatment needs. Services are provided at a lower cost due to the elimination of high recruitment fees, travel expenses and marketing.
Manufacturing
WholeTrees, LLC
Madison
WholeTrees creates value from the abundant, no-value waste streams of sustainably managed forests: small-diameter round timber (SDRT). WholeTrees uses debarked, unmilled timbers and proprietary steel connections in high-value construction markets. WholeTrees engineered products include columns, beams, and truss assemblies as cost-competitive and sustainable alternatives to steel, concrete or milled lumber components.
Nonprofit
Tri 4 Schools
Verona
Tri 4 Schools is a nonprofit organization that is solving childhood obesity and improving the health of children by hosting children’s triathlon events and a healthy lifestyle after school program. 100% of the race entry fee that children pay to participate in the events goes back to the schools as funding for equipment costs and health and nutrition programming.
Retail
DynaTrap
Milwaukee
DynaTrap® is a technology-driven indoor/outdoor insect trap that protects against mosquitoes, biting flies, moths, wasps, and more. Unlike other bug prevention solutions, DynaTrap is uniquely chemical- and pesticide-free, affordable, easy to maintain, environmentally friendly and most importantly—effective.
Software
Zendesk
Madison
Zendesk provides a beautiful, simple solution to connect businesses and customers through a lightweight, cloud product. They have revolutionized complex, expensive, and time-intensive Customer Service and Help Desk software.
People’s Choice
PATHOGENOMICA
Madison
Pathogenomica offers a novel test to identify and quantify all microorganisms present in a sample. Their patent-pending technology helps companies reduce risk, save money, protect sales, enhance their brand, improve the quality of their products, and ultimately prevent pathogen outbreaks and ensure the safety of their consumers.
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About the Wisconsin Innovation Awards
Led by a steering committee of business, community and entrepreneurial leaders, the WIA hopes to encourage an even greater environment of innovation by bringing innovators together from various business sectors (e.g. tech, food, healthcare, agriculture, nonprofits, education, government), and from throughout the state of Wisconsin.
For more information, press only:
Molly Walsh
608-616-0840
molly@wisconsininnovationawards.com
For more information:
www.wisconsininnovationawards.com
info@wisconsininnovationawards.com