Category: Archived Chamber Updates
Photo by Richard Hurd
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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Photo by Richard Hurd
Exclusive Wisconsin premiere of CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap
Exclusive Wisconsin premiere of CODE:
Debugging the Gender Gap
Documentarian Robin Hauser Reynolds visits Madison to show her Tribeca Film Festival hit that exposes reasons behind the shortage of women in programming
MADISON – On August 6 director Robin Hauser Reynolds will come to Sundance 608 to screen her acclaimed documentary, CODE: Debugging the Gender Gap. This exclusive showing of her film that debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival in April will feature a screening of the film, a networking reception and a dynamic panel discussion led by Ms. Hauser Reynolds.
Come to hear answers to CODE’s key question: Why aren’t more girls and people of color seeking opportunities in computer science and programming? CODE aims to inspire change in mindsets, in the educational system, in the startup culture and in the way women see themselves.
CODE explores the new “Rosie the Riveter” moment for our society and challenges complacency in the tech industry. Tech jobs are growing three times faster than U.S. colleges are producing computer science graduates. The film notes that by 2020, there will be one million unfilled software engineering jobs in the US.
Brought to you by title sponsor Smart Solutions and hosted by Accelerate Madison, a program of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, with additional support from Zendesk, Madcelerator, CUNA Mutual Group and Foley & Lardner. Attendance is limited to the first 250 people, register today at greatermadisonchamber.com under events.
Location: Sundance Cinemas 608
Address: Hilldale Shopping Center, 430 N Midvale Blvd, Madison
Date: August 6, 2015
Time: 4:30 p.m. Reception with hors d’oeuvres buffet
5:30 p.m. Screening, followed by director-led panel discussion
Cost: $25 for networking reception, movie screening & post-film discussion
Contact: Melanie Conklin, Managing Director of Brand, (608) 443-1952
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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Photo by Richard Hurd
Welcome New Members – June
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
Chamber joins 252 businesses nationwide in call to action on American Innovation Imperative
Action follows American Academy of Arts & Sciences report
June 23, 2015 – The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce today joined scores of other organizations, as well as leaders of American business, industry, higher education, science and engineering in an urgent call to action for stronger federal policies and investment to drive domestic research and development.
Ten CEOs and 252 organizations signed “Innovation: An American Imperative,” a document aimed at federal decision makers and legislators. It underscores the findings—and warnings—contained in The American Academy of Arts & Sciences report, Restoring the Foundation: The Vital Role of Research in Preserving the American Dream.
The CEOs who have signed on to the effort are:
- Samuel R. Allen, Chairman & CEO, John Deere
- Norman R. Augustine, Co-Chair, Restoring the Foundation
- Wes Bush, Chairman, President & CEO, Northrop Grumman
- Kenneth C. Frazier, Chairman & CEO, Merck & Co., Inc.
- Marillyn A. Hewson, Chairman, President, & CEO, Lockheed Martin Corporation
- Charles O. Holliday, Chairman, Royal Dutch Shell plc
- Joseph Jimenez, CEO, Novartis
- W. James McNerney, Jr., Chairman of the Board & CEO, The Boeing Company
- Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft
- Jay Timmons, President and CEO, National Association of Manufacturers
According to Restoring the Foundation, “There is a deficit between what America is investing and what it should be investing to remain competitive, not only in research but in innovation and job creation.” The United States is failing to keep pace with competitor nations with regard to investments in basic research and development. America’s ascendency in the 20th century was due in large part—if not primarily—to its investments in science and engineering research. Basic research is behind every new product brought to market, every new medical device or drug, every new defense and space technology and many innovative business practices.
Over the last two decades, a steady decline in investment in research & development (R&D) in the United States has allowed our nation to fall to 10th place in R&D investment among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and development (OECD) nations as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).
At this pace, China will surpass the United States in R&D intensity in about eight years.
These developments led a diverse coalition of those concerned with the future of research in America to join together in presenting the Innovation Imperative to federal policy makers and urging them to take action to:
- End sequestration’s deep cuts to federal investments in R&D
- Make permanent a strengthened federal R&D tax credit
- Improve student achievement in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM)
- Reform U.S. visa policy
- Streamline or eliminate costly and inefficient regulations
- Reaffirm merit-based peer review
- Stimulate further improvements in advanced manufacturing
Details on these action items, as well as a full list of signatories, are included in the full document, which is linked above and posted on the websites of each of the following organizations:
- American Academy of Arts & Sciences
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
- Association of American Universities
- Association of Public and Land-grant Universities
- Battelle
- Coalition for National Science Funding
- Coalition for National Security Research
- Council on Competitiveness
- Energy Sciences Coalition
- Task Force on American Innovation
- The Science Coalition
www.innovationimperative.us #InnovationImperative
Contact: Melanie Conklin, Managing Director of Brand, (608) 443-1952
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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Photo by Richard Hurd
Chamber Joins Federal Call to Action for Innovation
The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce joined more than 250 organizations in business, education, science, industry and engineering in signing “Innovation: An American Imperative.” This statement is a national call to action to strengthen federal policies as well as find sustainable investment channels for research and development that fund important innovation. A similar statement was released in 2007. The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce is the second city chamber in the country to sign on to the initiative.
CEOs from around the country joined the effort including signatories below:
- Samuel R. Allen, Chairman & CEO, John Deere
- Norman R. Augustine, Co-Chair, Restoring the Foundation
- Wes Bush, Chairman, President & CEO, Northrop Grumman
- Kenneth C. Frazier, Chairman & CEO, Merck & Co., Inc.
- Marillyn A. Hewson, Chairman, President, & CEO, Lockheed Martin Corporation
- Charles O. Holliday, Chairman, Royal Dutch Shell plc
- Joseph Jimenez, CEO, Novartis
- W. James McNerney, Jr., Chairman of the Board & CEO, The Boeing Company
- Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft
- Jay Timmons, President and CEO, National Association of Manufacturers
This initiative focuses on important areas of the Chamber’s most recent legislative agenda including:
- Ending sequestration’s deep cuts to federal investments in R&D
- Making permanent a strengthened federal R&D tax credit
- Reforming U.S. visa policy
- Stimulating further improvements in advanced manufacturing
For a complete copy of the statement, see here.