The Wisconsin Legislature will face many big decisions in 2009, and one of the most important will be whether to expand the state's investment tax credit program. The program, which is credited with raising the level of angel investments in early-stage technology businesses, will be...
With typical investments ranging from $50,000 to $500,000, the newly minted Lake Superior Angel Network has agreed to focus its early-stage investments in a multi-county region stretching from Duluth, Minn., to Ironwood, Mich. Businesses located in the Lake Superior region would be given preference, but...
Lorrie Keating Heinemann, secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, is among the state officials that are trying to encourage innovation and make sure the innovators have access to capital. In this Visions interview with WTN, Heinemann explains how a state strapped for budget...
The nation's depressing economy has not prevented a Chicago-based venture capital firm with a national investment focus from raising a new, $50.1 million capital fund. In fact, the tight credit market has opened financing doors for OCA Ventures that previously were handled via working capital...
When it comes to partnerships, there is no more limited arrangement than the relationship between venture investor and entrepreneur - especially when it comes to the rules that favor the investor. In this WTN Guest Column, Paul Jones, president of the Council for Innovation, strikes...
Budget cuts alone won't get Wisconsin out of its projected $5 billion budget hole, opines columnist Tom Still. In this edition of Inside Wisconsin, he says the state must also promote the economic growth that boosts tax receipts, and there is no better place to...
If you thought the rules for romance were involved, wait until you see the rules for courting angel or venture investors. Yes, there are certain rules of the investment game that entrepreneurs must adhere to, according to columnist Paul Jones, president of the Council for...
Three Wisconsin technology companies, including the newly venture funded Alice.com, have been qualified for investor tax credits under the state's angel investor and venture fund tax credit programs. Joining Alice.com are Idle Free Systems of Watertown and Promentis Pharmaceuticals of Milwaukee. The tax credit programs...
Two Madison serial entrepreneurs have landed more than $4 million for their latest business venture, and it won't even go live until spring. Brian Wiegand and Mark McGuire, creators of Jellyfish.com, an online shopping and social network, have raised $4.3 million in funding for Alice.com, an...
Perhaps it comes as no surprise that medical technology companies fared well during the 2008 Elevator Pitch Olympics, an annual staple of the Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium. But although medical technology is a Wisconsin strong suit, the winning entrepreneurs still had to convince investors that...