Venture Capital

Virtually all the metrics are encouraging as Wisconsin's early-stage market reports significant gains in the 2008 risk capital report issued by NorthStar Economics. Although Wisconsin still lags behind other states in overall dollar deployment, the report is encouraging on several levels as Gov. Jim Doyle...

The 2008 Wisconsin Entrepreneurs' Conference exposed not only the bright potential of Wisconsin start-up companies, but the somber reality that Wisconsin still ranks low - 48th among the 50 states - in the creation of start-up businesses. Angel and venture investors are trying to improve...

aOva Technologies, a Madison-based agricultural-biotechnology company, has launched another investment round in hopes raising more than $3 million in angel capital. The company, founded in 2001, would use the money to expand its ability to sell egg protein products used in animal feed to grow...

The first-ever First Look Forum, to be held during the 2008 Wisconsin Entrepreneurs' Conference, will introduce promising university innovations to venture capitalists and other investors. The conference, to be held June 9 and 10 at the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee, will feature new innovations from researchers...

Silatronix, a Madison-based start-up company, will receive $500,000 and could secure as much as $1 million in venture capital from Venture Investors, LLC, according to a published report. The company, led by a group of scientists and spun out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is...

Whether or not proposed changes to the federal Small Business Innovation Research grant program would help Wisconsin is anyone's guess. But the merits of a provision to allow venture capital-owned entrepreneurial firms to apply for grants continues to generate a great deal of debate, according...

Angel investments and venture capital have done more than other investment classes to promote company formation, and it looks as though the slowing economy will not derail their momentum. In advance of an annual report on early-stage investment activity in Wisconsin, columnist Tom Still notes...

In 2007, angel investors became more cautious nationally, according to an annual analysis of the angel capital market conducted by the Center for Venture Research. Their caution comes amid volatility in the economy, and as the state of Wisconsin tries to make it more attractive...

The state of Wisconsin has qualified two more early-stage technology companies for its Act 255 angel and venture investor program. Joining 73 other certified Wisconsin companies are FluGen of Madison and Sonoplot of Middleton, and investors who make financial commitments to these companies are eligible...