Entrepreneurs

An electronic database that uses Web-based tools to connect privately held companies with board candidates has thus far been focused on Wisconsin, but sponsors of DirectorConnector have been approached about taking the service national. Since launching in 2004, the free service has connected 146 board...

So-called feature companies, derided by some because they present features rather than products at various conferences, deserve a more serious look from investors, writes DEMO Letter columnist Chris Shipley. Many entrepreneurial companies have presented features that went on to capture the market as products, but...

A joint U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Energy grant will enable Madison's Virent Energy Systems to partner with an Arkansas firm to increase production of a renewable chemical. Virent's goal is to provide a profitable market for glycerol, a co-product of the biodiesel...

So what's in a business name? Well, a great deal, according to columnist Joe Boucher and fellow business attorney Brian F. Bates. In this Web era, that's especially true when selecting a domain name, as they explain in the latest edition of Early Stage. Even...

Contestents in this year's Elevator Pitch Olympics learned some hard truths about the hurdles they must clear with angel and venture investors. The contest, held during the 2006 Early-Stage Symposium, emphasized clear and concise presentations about how your technology will beat the competition and make...

TomoTherapy Inc. has reached a milestone by selling its 100th Hi-Art System to a veterans medical center in Albany, N.Y. The Stratton VA Medical Center will use the system, which applies a targeted dosage of radiation, to treat veterans with prostate cancer, head and neck...

Mirus Bio Corp. has been granted a European patent for its therapeutic gene delivery technique known as "Pathway IV," which could one day help treat muscular dystrophy and Lou Gehrig's disease. The Madison-based biotech company is actively seeking strategic alliances to expand its product pipeline. ...

Wisconsin has many economic assets, but it still may not be able to compete with the more nimble and more moneyed east and west coasts. In this latest installment of WTN's Visions Series, Baird CEO Paul Purcell recommends nixing intra- and inter-state rivalries as he...

ENCAP, a soil technology company based in Green Bay, has won the 2006 Governor's Small Business Technology Transfer Award. The company, whose advanced soil technology is designed to create ideal growing conditions for lawn and garden seeds, beat out two Middleton-based companies - Lucigen Corp....

The promotional aspects of online video have not been lost on the Smirnoff Vodkas and the Nestles (Butterfinger chocolate bars) of the world. These are among the companies that have successfully incorporated online video into their advertising programs. According to Buzz Networks columnist Paul Gibler,...