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Month: August 2015

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Welcome New Members – August 2015

The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce welcomes these new members. Please keep these companies in mind when doing business. View the complete directory listing of all Chamber members.

Photo by Richard Hurd

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Mission Impossible star at neXXpo

Event teams with Forward Fest for a major Pitch Night & Happy Hour (and a Half)

MADISON – For 2015, neXXpo – the Chamber’s reimagined business-in-fast-forward expo – is back for a second year, with lots of new twists. Join us for two exciting pitch events, a huge Pitch Night party, a reveal stage with business and community members showcasing what’s next and not-to-miss networking all day and night long on Aug. 25 at Monona Terrace.

While Tom Cruise is not likely to be behind the wheel, when Ethan Hunt cruised up to a Mumbai party in Mission Impossible, his futuristic BMW i8 was the real eye catcher making the scene. At neXXpo, Zimbrick BMW has secured an i8 for showing—a hybrid sports car star in sustainable design innovation that can go zero to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds. For neXXpo attendees who want to get up-close and personal with such an automobile, its sibling, the BMW i3, will also be in the house.

All across the exhibit hall floor will be businesses showcasing the future of their industry, products and services. Nearby is the Nex7 Stage where select exhibitors will be putting on a 7-minute show with a 7-minute interactive audience time to show off the latest trends from 3D printing to the future of education and cybersecurity.

Our neXXpo ’15 doesn’t end with the exhibition floor. Join us after hours for more networking and celebration at the summer’s must-not-miss happy hour (and a half) sponsored by Zendesk with appetizers and an open bar. Top off this amazing day with the excitement of our Shark Tank-style business pitch contest Pressure Chamber and the evening’s finale celebration of local business success in Startup Showcase.

On Aug. 25 at Monona Terrace, make more connections in one day than most people make in a year. Register to attend at www.neXXpo.com. One $20 ticket gets entrance in to all of the events below:

10:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Expo Floor: Showcasing what the future holds – what’s next in products and services – for innovative greater Madison businesses.

11:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Nex7 Stage: See what’s next for greater Madison businesses and our community in brief 7-minute talks with a 7-minute Q&A.

4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Pressure Chamber: Step aside Shark Tank. This pitch contest offers greater Madison’s most promising early-stage companies exposure to the region’s business community and top investors. Contestants compete for an all-expenses paid trip to pitch to investors in Silicon Valley.

5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Zendesk Happy Hour (and a Half): This Pitch Night reception falls between two great pitch events, sponsored by Zendesk with a signature cocktail, open bar and appetizers.

7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. StartUp Showcase: An evening of startup pitches from some of Madison’s most compelling emerging companies. A select group of rising startups will give a five-minute “demo day” style pitch showcasing their company. Co-hosted by Capital Entrepreneurs and Accelerate Madison, a program of the Chamber.

More information can be found at greatermadisonchamber.com.

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Pressure Chamber finalists announced

Six local startups to compete in Shark Tank‐style pitch contest for a spot in the

Chamber’s delegation to visit top venture capitalists in Silicon Valley

MADISON – What do swallowing disorders, grocery shopping and fertility have in common? Innovative

solutions on all of these subjects, and more, will be presented at Pressure Chamber, the Greater

Madison Chamber of Commerce’s exciting pitch competition for the region’s most promising early‐stage

The six finalists will compete before a panel of out‐of‐state investors and a live audience for an all-expenses

paid trip to pitch to top global investors on an exclusive Chamber startup delegation to Silicon

Valley in October.

Pressure Chamber finalists are:

bluDiagnostics (Madison) – A biomedical device company that offers the first over‐the‐counter

test to measure fertility‐related hormones in saliva, with resulting data sent to a mobile

Fetch Rewards (Madison) – A mobile application that allows grocery shoppers to scan every

items as they shop, receive real‐time savings that automatically apply to eligible items, track

their spending and checkout with the scan of a single barcode on their phone.

Health eFilings (Madison) ‐ Proprietary software that offers a turn‐key, end‐to‐end solution that

enables physicians and healthcare organizations to comply with Medicare’s annual reporting

requirements of quality data, and thereby avoid significant penalties.

Redox (Madison) – A connector to proprietary electronic health records systems used by

hospitals around the country, providing API access to applications those health systems

choose to work with.

SmartUQ (Madison) – Analytics software tool that helps companies reduce the complexity, time

and cost of design cycles across a wide range of industries.

Swallow Solutions (Madison) – A maker of both a medical device that delivers oropharyngeal

strengthening therapy to treat swallowing disorders and nutritional food products tailored to

the patient’s diagnosed level of swallowing difficulty.

Chamber President Zach Brandon noted the diversity and scale of problems being solved by the selected

companies are just the latest indicator of greater Madison’s growing startup ecosystem.

“The momentum is real. Greater Madison is a place where top talent solves big problems,” said

Brandon. “The pressure is certainly on for these startups but arguably more so for the judges and

audience who must pick a winner among such an exciting, high‐potential slate of companies.”

Pressure Chamber returns for a second year, this time joining with the Chamber’s neXXpo Business in

Fast Forward expo on Aug. 25 in the heart of Forward Fest, an eight day celebration of

Madison entrepreneurship.

“Come to our Business in Fast Forward expo during the day and stay for what is certain to be an exciting

pitch night,” Brandon added.

Pressure Chamber begins at 4 p.m. One $20 ticket gets audience admission to neXXpo, Pressure Chamber, a pitch night Zendesk‐sponsored

Happy Hour with open bar and appetizers, plus the evening finale celebration of local business success

in Startup Showcase, co‐hosted by Capital Entrepreneurs and Accelerate Madison, a program of the

Chamber. Startup Showcase will feature rising startups giving five‐minute “demo day” style pitches.

Get your tickets to be a part of the live voting audience, and access to all neXXpo events, at

neXXpo.com.

The Pressure Chamber is presented by Michael Best & Friedrich, with support from the State of Wisconsin

Investment Board, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, American Family Ventures, Baird Capital, 4490

Ventures, HealthX Ventures, Lindsay Stone & Briggs, Three Oaks Venture Fund, Venture Investors and the Wisconsin

Alumni Research Foundation.

About the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce:

The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce is the voice of business with nearly 1,300 organizations – ranging

from one‐person shops to corporations with more than 8,000 employees – working to bring the Greater Madison

area to its full potential. The Greater Madison region is a leader in innovation. From cutting‐edge technologies to

distinctive retail shops to inventive services and products, our members vary greatly but are united by the region’s

entrepreneurial spirit. More information can be found at greatermadisonchamber.com.

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