Chamber Announces Finalists for Pressure Chamber

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (July 28, 2016)

Contact: Erik Greenfield, Communications Manager, 608-443-1952 (office), 608-669-7884 (cell)

MADISON – Today the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce announced the five finalists competing in this year’s Pressure Chamber startup pitch event, which will take place Aug. 23 at the Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center during the Forward Festival, an eight-day celebration of entrepreneurship and innovation in Madison.

Pressure Chamber is a “Shark Tank”-style contest in which emerging companies will pitch in front of a panel of regional investors, business executives and a live audience. The winning company is decided based on a combination of judges’ scoring and audience votes.

The 2016 Pressure Chamber finalists are:

• Akitabox (Madison) – A SaaS application for proactive building management that automates maintenance, planning and inspections.
• Lynx Biosciences (Madison) – Developing technologies enabling the prediction of clinical treatment response for multiple myeloma and other blood cancer patients.
• Manifestly (Madison) – Mobile and web software that uses visual checklists and Slack integration to manage companies’ recurring workflows.
• POLCO (Madison) – A platform improving civic engagement by connecting members of the community with their local representatives on active policy proposals.
• Rigbot (Madison) – A product suite that uses telematics and big data analytics to improve revenue and reduce costs for the trucking industry.

“This year’s Pressure Chamber finalists are a diverse and exciting group of companies,” said Chamber President Zach Brandon. “Their work and their innovations are a reflection of some of the big problems being solved in our community, and they show how well-positioned Greater Madison is for success in the Third Wave of the economy.”

In addition to receiving the coveted “golden suitcase,” the winning company will also receive an all-expenses paid spot on the Chamber’s exclusive Madison-area startup delegation to Palo Alto in October for meetings with top Silicon Valley investment firms. Both the 2014 Pressure Chamber winner, Fishidy, and the 2015 winner, bluDiagnostics, closed successful funding rounds following their presentations at Pressure Chamber.

Pressure Chamber returns this year as part of a popular evening of programming, including neXXpo, Startup Showcase and the “Make it a Double” Happy Hour sponsored by Zendesk. To register for these events, visit http://greatermadisonchamber.com/programs-events/nexxpo/

Pressure Chamber is presented by Michael Best & Friedrich, with support from the State of Wisconsin Investment Board, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, American Family Ventures, Baird Capital, 4490 Ventures, HealthX Ventures, Lindsay, Stone & Briggs, Three Oaks Venture Capital and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.

Pressure Chamber finalists can be available for interviews upon request.

For more information about Forward Fest, please visit http://www.forwardfest.org/

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 9,500 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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Chamber Launches HealthTech Capitol Website

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (July 13, 2016)

Contact: Erik Greenfield, Communications Manager, 608-443-1952 (office), 608-669-7884 (cell)

MADISON – Today the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce announced the launch of the HealthTech Capitol website – healthtechcapitol.com – as part of an initiative dedicated to establishing Greater Madison as the world-class leader for health innovation by allowing companies to leverage a density of talent, capital and mentoring.

“With a robust ecosystem of world-class research, the market leader in electronic medical records, entrepreneurs and a strong network of payers and providers, Greater Madison is already a leader in health innovation,” said Chamber President Zach Brandon. “HealthTech Capitol will help build on these strengths by supporting companies and talent in our region and building an infrastructure that will amplify our health discoveries to the world.”

HealthTech Capitol represents a scaling of efforts begun in 2012 by entrepreneurs to make Greater Madison the best place to start and grow a health technology company. The effort brought together a group of emerging healthtech companies and providers from the Madison area, including HealthX Ventures, Moxe, Healthfinch, Forward Health Group and Wellbe, among others. HealthTech Capitol is sponsored by Godfrey and Kahn, with support from UW Health and CUNA Mutual Group.

“Having built a Madison-based healthtech business and venture capital fund focused on investing in making health care safer, more affordable and more effective, I know this region is in a unique position when it comes to health technology,” said Madison HealthTech Capitol Chair Mark Bakken, the founder of HealthX Ventures and co-founder and former CEO of Nordic Consulting. “With the right vision and resources, there is no limit to the impact our region can have in solving global health challenges.”

Membership in HealthTech Capitol is offered as an added benefit of Chamber membership. Members will benefit from collective marketing and branding, as well as event programming and exclusive networking opportunities. You can apply for Chamber membership here: http://member.greatermadisonchamber.com/member/newmemberapp

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 9,500 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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