Tech Council’s report on annual investment trends available online and in 32-page print version
WISCONSIN TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL
The 2022 edition of the “Wisconsin Portfolio,” which provides detail on last year’s early stage investments in young, Wisconsin-based companies, is available online at www.wisconsintechnologycouncil.com and in print for people who want to order copies.
The report captures investments by angel and venture capitalists totaled more than $852 million in 2021, exceeding by more than $368 million the previous mark of $483.6 million set in calendar year 2020. Breakouts in the report provide a closer look at the 119 recorded deals, including analysis of:
- Annual totals dating to 2015
- Average and median round sizes in 2021
- Largest deals in 2021, 2020 and 2019
- Charts and graphs detailing deals and dollar amounts by industry sector, equity versus debt, types of investor, regional geography and gender, and;
- A map of depicting all Wisconsin funds and networks...
Open for less than six months, Oconto boutique expanding twice
GREEN BAY PRESS GAZETTE
OCONTO – Just a few months after opening a women’s clothing boutique in Oconto, Magan Holz was already eyeing a second location in Oconto Falls.
Soon, though, she will have three Olive + Birch shops.
The Lakewood site – which initially is open only Saturdays and Sundays – is located between Sweet Memories Candy Shoppe and Subway in the former Trillium Boutique building at 15351 State 32. A soft opening is planned for Memorial Day weekend, with a grand opening in June....
Wisconsin venture capital firm launches tool to help investors find startups
WISCONSIN INNO
Wisconsin venture capital fund of funds manager NVNG Investment Advisors LLC has launched an online database designed to help expose venture capitalists to startups in the state.
The new tool, known as +Venture Wisconsin and pronounced "add-venture," is free for founders to list their companies and open for public viewing.
It's also designed as a value-add for the funds NVNG backs and a tool for state economic development, which is important to the investors in NVNG's first fund, NVNG managing director Grady Buchanan said. NVNG's investors, the funds it backs and the more than 60 portfolio startup companies in those funds also have access to an exclusive, more robust online portal where they can connect with each other in a closed network....
Dry, itchy beard? De Pere couple has the product to solve that and more in their hair- and skin-care line
GREEN BAY PRESS GAZETTE
Josh Woods of De Pere had a problem. After struggling with a dry, itchy beard and trying product after product on the market, nothing seemed to work. His wife, Amy, joined him in trying to find a solution.
“Josh is a welder by trade," Amy said. "He went bald at age 22, and to get his confidence back, he grew out his beard. But he has really sensitive skin and none of the products we found seemed to cater to that. His beard was patchy and itchy. So, we started doing research and testing ingredients and developed a product that people love.”...
Brat_Wave brags a better cook on brats, according to the Menasha veteran who invented it
APPLETON POST CRESCENT
MENASHA - Every time his wife asked him to grill brats, Menasha's Jesse Foster, a former paratrooper, father and electrical journeyman at Kimberly Clark, became vexed.
"I hated cooking brats, because I never knew if they (were) completely cooked," he said. He wasn't able to take his eyes off the grill, and they were never evenly done. "How can I make (sure) to get the curves cooked?"
Born and raised in Appleton, in the heart of a state known for its bratwurst, Foster couldn't let it go. So, he set about inventing something to help himself and his fellow grillers — all without losing the juices or burning the edges....
Snack crafters: Palo Popcorn becomes nationwide favorite
INSIGHT PUBLICATIONS
In the beginning, the founders of Palo Popcorn were popping just enough corn to supply Sheboygan County’s corner taverns with their signature salty snacks.
That was 1963, when siblings Pat and Larry Ott were manning the poppers.
Fast-forward 59 years and the company, whose moniker remains a mashup of its founders’ names, has become a staple nationwide and is carried in grocery, convenience and liquor stores as well as gourmet food shops from coast to coast.
The magic really happened in 2014, says Vice President of Sales Matt Haas, when the company was featured in a promotion for a retailer that owns stores in 15 states. Response to that campaign resulted in Palo Popcorn expanding into retail stores in 30 states from the Upper Midwest to Florida and New York....
Kimberly HS team wins second place in Wisconsin YES business plan contest
WISCONSIN TECHNOLOGY COUNCIL
Emily Scott and William Moertl, an 8th grade duo at Whitman Middle School in Wauwatosa, are the first-place winners in Wisconsin YES!, a statewide youth business plan contest for students in middle and high school.
Scott and Moertl’s company, Signfluent, will produce a software app that can be used to learn and translate Sign Language. Signfluent has a database of signs, grammatical rules and terminology, and uses a camera-based recognition system to translate to non-sign users.
Scott and Moertl will present their product June 2 at the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference, to be held at the Italian Community Center in Milwaukee.
Second place was awarded to a team of Wyatt Barker, Brayden Deering and Noah Schipper from Kimberly High School for their entry, Teplos Snowboard/Ski Helmets. Teplos allows customers to customize their helmet with technology and accessories, such as Bluetooth, GPS tracking and temperature control...
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How a nonprofit that pairs support dogs with military veterans saves 'two lives with one mission'
SHEBOYGAN PRESS
SHEBOYGAN FALLS – There's a new staff member at the Sheboygan Area Veterans Treatment Court: a dog named Oliver.
Oliver, a Great Pyrenees-Labrador retriever mix, attends monthly court hearings where he wanders around the courtroom off-leash, greeting court attendees and offering support in what can be a stressful environment. He took on his role about a month-and-a-half ago, after the Sheboygan Area Veterans Treatment Court connected with nonprofit organization Dogs 2 Dog Tags.
The Sheboygan Area Veterans Treatment Court, which began operations in 2012, addresses cases from Sheboygan, Manitowoc, Calumet, Winnebago, Fond du Lac, Washington and Ozaukee counties involving U.S. military veterans with mental and behavioral health issues that have contributed to them committing crimes....
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More space, more beer, Lake Michigan patio views: Algoma craft brewery opens new taproom
GREEN BAY PRESS GAZETTE
ALGOMA - It's a case where, for a microbrewery, bigger is better.
After nine years in a small garage in downtown Algoma, Ahnapee Brewery is opening its new taproom Saturday a couple blocks away from its original location. A grand opening celebration is planned to start at noon with food by local craft barbecue outfit Steel Belly BBQ, serving until it's gone, and two variants of flagship chocolate stout will be tapped.
It's been a dream to expand the Algoma location for Nick Calaway, who helped launch the microbrewpub as its brewmaster and manager in June 2013 and became owner in 2017. The taproom Calaway and his partners opened nine years ago on Navarino Street was an old two-stall garage a couple doors down from the Ahnapee Brewery that Civil War veteran Henry Schmiling opened and operated in Algoma from 1868 to 1886....
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Food waste in landfills is a surprisingly potent driver of climate change. This Door County farm uses it to fuel their crops
MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL
SISTER BAY – Tucked between the rolling hills and blossoming cherry trees, one of Door County's newer farms is hoping to fuel the growth of its fruits and veggies with a surprising source: the food scraps left behind after restaurants prepare meals for tourists.
Owned by Char and Dan Fatke, Mighty Wind Farms is fueling its growing crop with compost carefully made from those food scraps, in order to boost the soil's health and keep those scraps from ending up in the landfill.
Soil health in Wisconsin has become an increasingly important issue, as the impact from chemical fertilizers and manure being spread on farm fields has shown up in groundwater around the state, impacting residents who rely on private wells for drinking, cooking and bathing...
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