Wisconsin Technology Council: Calling all companies! Sign up for Early Stage Symposium; learn a lot, meet with investors

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (9-13-21)
Contact: Joe Kremer or Tom Still at 608-442-7557
Or visit wisearlystage.com to learn more

Calling all companies! Sign up for Early Stage Symposium; learn a lot, meet with investors

MADISON, Wis. – Applications are being accepted now from young companies that want to tell their stories to investors at our annual Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium, planned for an in-person format Nov. 3-4 at Madison’s Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center.

The 2021 format includes two pitch opportunities – the Tech Council Investor Networks track (five-minute presentations) and the popular Elevator Pitch Olympics. All registered companies are eligible for “Investor Intros,” which will allow pre-selected companies brief, one-on-one meetings with targeted angel and venture investors.

Instructions for how to apply for all or a mix of the investor presentation opportunities can be found at wisearlystage.com on the “ESS Application” tab.

General registration is also now open by clicking here!

At least one applicant must register in advance for the conference at a discounted rate of $179. Additional team members may register at the rate of $129. All meals, breaks and reception included. Companies selected for the Tech Council Investor Networks track presentations will also receive a complimentary individual membership to the Tech Council’s Innovation Network for one year (a $120 value).

The deadline to apply online is 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24.

Here are the three company forums; companies may apply for one, two or all three opportunities to be seen, heard and make a splash!

Tech Council Investor Networks Track – Wednesday, Nov. 3:

These tracks will feature more than 20 companies from the Midwest representing an array of industries, such as advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, health care, information technology, medical device and mobile application sectors.

Companies selected will have many opportunities to interest investors: a five-minute presentation, networking receptions and an executive summary published in the investor-only program. Selected companies will also be invited to participate in a pre-conference practice session with a group of mentors.

Elevator Pitch Olympics – Thursday, Nov. 4:

Companies or entrepreneurs selected for the Elevator Pitch Olympics will give a 90-second pitch in front of conference attendees and a panel of investors. The investors will score the presenter on a scale of 1 to 5, focusing on whether the pitch was compelling enough to arrange a follow-up meeting, and will offer immediate feedback.

About 15 companies will be selected for the Elevator Pitch Olympics. In past years, these have been companies just forming, seeking a smaller investment round or planning to do so within the next year. There are crystal awards for the top presenters!

Investor Intros – Thursday, Nov. 4:

Companies selected for the popular Investor Intros will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one with investors from Wisconsin and beyond. To foster this type of communication, the Investor Intros will feature pre-scheduled, strategic meetings between investors and emerging companies. This format will resemble a “speed dating” exercise, allowing both parties to learn more about each other and explore potential relationships.

The conference will feature a number of opportunities for young companies to learn:

• Keynote speakers and targeted panel discussions featuring leading entrepreneurs, investors and others tied to the tech sector making an impact nationwide.
• The 8^th annual “Excellence in Entrepreneurial Education” award presentation and luncheon.
• Exhibit hall showcasing more than 40 innovative Wisconsin companies.
• A Nov. 3 conference reception, two luncheons, two breakfasts and other networking opportunities, including an investors-only dinner.

The Tech Council produces the conference. Sponsors so far include: Aberdean Consulting, Advanced Materials Industrial Consortium, Advocate Aurora Health, American Family Insurance, American Transmission Co., AT&T, Baird Capital, Baker Tilly, BDO, City of Fitchburg, CUNA Mutual, Dedicated Computing, DeWitt, Exact Sciences, Findorff, First Business Bank, Godfrey & Kahn, Google, HealthX Ventures, Husch Blackwell, Idea Fund of La Crosse, KW2, M3 Insurance, Madison Development Corp., Madison Gas & Electric, Makin’ Hey Communications, Marquette University, Marshfield Clinic Health System, Michael Best, Mobile22, Morgridge Institute for Research, N29 Capital Partners, Neider & Boucher, One City Schools, Perkins Coie, Quarles & Brady, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, RSM US, State of Wisconsin Investment Board, TASC, University Research Park, UWM Research Foundation, UW-Madison Computer Sciences, Venture Investors, Versiti, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., Wipfli, WEA Trust, Zendesk and Ziegler.

To learn more about sponsorship information, please reach out to Angela Schlobohm at angela@wisconsintechnologycouncil.com.  

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Mitchell International Honored with 2021 Innovation Award by Naviant

Media contact:
Jenifer Hein | +1 888.686.4624 | JHein@Naviant.com

Mitchell International Honored with 2021 Innovation Award by Naviant

SAN DIEGO, CA; SYRACUSE, N.Y.; VERONA, WI.; MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, OH; OREM, UT — September 15, 2021 — Mitchell International, Inc., a leading smart technology company that simplifies and optimizes P&C claims handling, headquartered in San Diego CA, was honored by Naviant Inc Wednesday morning at the 2021 Naviant Summit for its outstanding achievements in Digital Transformation. Mitchell International was awarded the 2021 Innovation Award and recognized for its creative and highly successful innovative uses of OnBase document management and ABBYY capture solutions.

The criteria for the prestigious Innovation Award are based on how the solution has changed the way the organization does business, the return on investment, and the extent to which the organization is using the solution to meet broader organizational goals. Additionally, the award’s criteria consider the level of innovation and creativity present in the organization’s development, use, and vision for the solution.

Mitchell International, a leading expert in the P&C industry that enhances and accelerates claims processes for more than 300 insurance companies through its comprehensive software and service solution portfolio, was awarded for its creative, expansive use of its OnBase and ABBYY intelligent process automation solutions. Before implementing these solutions, the company relied on a manual, time-consuming process to meet its clients’ needs regarding outsourced bill review, which inhibited productivity and delayed response times. 

Today, Mitchell International uses Document Management to OCR capture and classify documents like bills and set up and manage user roles. Mitchell International has also used it as a user-friendly online portal for client communications.

On the difference the solutions have made, Norman Tyrrell, Vice President of Product Management at Mitchell International, said, “We’re very pleased with what we’ve been able to accomplish using OnBase and ABBYY. Automating our bill review workflow has simplified the entire process while leading to marked productivity gains. Our clients have responded positively to this change as well, as the client-facing Exception Manager enables intuitive client input, and we’re able to respond to customers more quickly.”

“We are very excited to be awarding the 2021 Innovation Award to Mitchell International in recognition of their continued proven ability to find new ways to utilize and optimize their solutions,” said Michael Carr, President & CEO of Naviant. “Naviant takes great pride in supporting Mitchell International’s initiatives and sees them as a shining example of digital transformation excellence for all organizations striving for innovative change.”

“Looking to the future, Mitchell International plans to roll out Document Management to more clients and applications in phases to further extend its solutions’ impact. “

About Naviant

Business processes and solutions that empower better and faster decisions are what we do best. As a nationally recognized intelligent automation solutions integrator and business process consulting organization with over 30 years of experience headquartered in Verona WI, our clients do more with less by streamlining processes and gaining visibility into the information they need to make better decisions. As a long-standing key partner of Hyland, Naviant helps organizations operate more efficiently using Hyland’s OnBase enterprise information platform, Brainware intelligent capture platform, the Hyland Cloud, and Hyland RPA, as well as the ABBYY intelligent capture and Kryon RPA platforms. Naviant’s “process-first” approach brings focus to the importance of process improvement prior to implementing best-in-class enterprise content management (ECM) solutions and technology. Naviant is a top-tier partner for Hyland’s OnBase, an enterprise information platform for managing content, processes, and cases, that combines ECM, case management, business process management (BPM), records management, compliance, and capture functionality on a single platform. In addition, Naviant also partners with Kryon Systems for Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technology to enable organizations to drive business agility and efficiency by offloading repetitive high-volume work to a digital workforce (aka software robots).  To learn more about Naviant, visit Naviant.com. Process focus. Excellence.

Jill Skowronski promoted to President at 6AM Marketing

In January 2021, Jill Skowronski was promoted from Director of Strategy and Accounts to President at 6AM Marketing, Inc.

Jill has made a name for herself in Wisconsin for her creative thinking and customer relationship management style, earning a “40 Under 40” honor from “In Business Magazine” at age 29. With over 20 years’ experience in marketing, Jill has worked with national clients, from State Farm Insurance to Beer Nuts, and spent the last 10 years as a vice president in both the technology and food and beverage sectors.

NGL announces appointment of Gary Wolter as incoming Board of Directors Chairman

Madison, Wis. (September 13, 2021) – During National Guardian Life Insurance Company’s (NGL) meeting of the Board of Directors on August 12, 2021, it was announced that Gary Wolter is succeeding current Chairman of the Board David Walsh. Walsh has been Chairman since 2017 and has served on the Board of Directors since 1981. Walsh was named Vice Chairman and remains an active member of NGL’s Board of Directors.

“For over forty years David has been an essential member of NGL’s Board. Under his expertise and guidance, we have expanded through acquisitions and focused on growing our core lines of business. On behalf of our Board of Directors, I extend my sincere gratitude to David for his leadership and contributions to NGL’s success,” said Knut Olson, President and CEO of NGL.

Gary Wolter, NGL Board member since 2005, has been appointed the new Chairman of the NGL Board of Directors. Wolter is Chairman Emeritus and retired President and CEO of MGE Energy, Inc. and Madison Gas and Electric Company located in Madison, Wis. Wolter serves, or has served, on numerous community boards throughout the years, including Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, Madison Community Foundation, MadREP (formerly Thrive), Oscar Rennebohm Foundation, University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, United Way of Dane County, and University of Wisconsin Research Park.

“It’s an honor to be appointed by the Board of Directors as Chairman. I look forward to transitioning into this new capacity as Chairman during a time where NGL is concentrating on growing its business and building awareness of its products that help people meet their unique needs for life’s journey,” said Wolter.

Founded in 1909, NGL is a mutual insurance company that specializes in a suite of innovative insurance products for life’s journey, including individual and group products. Governing NGL includes 14 members on the Board of Directors include Amie Goldman (Chief Strategy Officer, Quartz Health Solutions), Peter Gunder (Venture Partner, American Family Ventures), F. Curtis Hastings (Retired Chairman, J.H. Findorff & Son), Erik Johnson (Chairman and CEO, Hy Cite Enterprises), David Kruger (Chairman and CEO, Fiore Companies), Sherry Manetta (Glenwood Strategies, LLC), Knut Olson (President & CEO, NGL), Daniel Olszewski (Director, Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship at University of Wisconsin-Madison), John Oros (J.C. Flowers & Co), Tammy Roou (Vice President Enterprise Compliance, Northwestern Mutual), David Walsh (Attorney and Retired Partner, Foley & Lardner), Judith Ward (Senior Executive Search Consultant, AGB Search), Gary J. Wolter (Chairman, Retired President & CEO, MGE Energy and Madison Gas and Electric Company), and Elease Wright (Retired Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Aetna, Inc.).

About NGL

Established in 1909 National Guardian Life Insurance Company (NGL) is an insurance company headquartered in Madison, Wis. Licensed to do business in 49 states and the District of Columbia, NGL markets preneed and individual life and annuities, as well as group markets products. Information about NGL can be found at www.nglic.com; Facebook: Facebook.com/NGLIC and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-guardian-life-insurance-company.

National Guardian Life Insurance Company is not affiliated with The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America a/k/a The Guardian or Guardian Life.

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gener8tor Madison Accelerator to Showcase Four Startups Selected for 2021 Cohort at Virtual Premiere Night

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 14, 2021

MEDIA CONTACT
Jenni Le
jenni@gener8tor.com

MADISON, WISCONSIN – Nationally ranked startup accelerator gener8tor will host a virtual Premiere Night featuring this year’s cohort for its 12-week accelerator in Madison.

Each of the four companies selected from around the world to participate have received a $100,000 investment. Due to the pandemic, the accelerator programming has been virtual this year. The cohort kicked off on March 11 and will conclude with an in-person Premiere Night, where the startups pitch their businesses to investors and the public, on September 21. 

The Madison 2021 cohort is composed of startups in the fashion, music, AI and beverage industries. Three were founded by women and three are led by minority founders. Chosen from over 1,500 companies, the four startups selected to participate and receive investment are:

Wildwonder (San Francisco, CA): Founded by Rosa Li, Wildwonder makes wellness accessible, starting with a better drink for gut health. Inspired by the healing tonics Li’s grandma brewed for her, Wildwonder offers the first microbiome expert-approved symbiotic (prebiotic + probiotic) beverage for the $125B functional beverage market, and broadens the market for Kombucha with no fermented taste and low sugar. Wildwonder employs a unique multi-prong distribution strategy that’s more capital efficient. Wildwonder has sold over 700K bottles since launch, online and in select Whole Foods and Sprouts stores.

Dora Maar (New York, NY): Founded and led by Lauren Wilson, Dora Maar’s influencer marketplace allows influencers to sell luxury consignment to their consumers and become their own personal luxury brands by monetizing their closets. Dora Maar allows luxury consumers to have a truly personalized shopping experience by giving them access to shop the closets of influencers, known as muses, they trust and follow every day. Dora Maar has been featured in VOGUE, Forbes and features over 30 Muses.

Awayr AI (Boston, MA): Led by co-founders Adam Beal and Dr. Ben Sawyer, Awayr AI’s modeling and simulation software helps automotive engineers run virtual experiments to determine how people will interact with vehicle user interfaces in the real world with a high degree of accuracy. Rather than needing to build a complete car and hire dozens of people to perform months-long road tests, Awayr AI completes testing using only digital designs of a proposed vehicle interface, one employee, and about an hour. Awayr AI is proven to be 5,700x faster, and 600x less costly than human safety and usability testing with eye tracking (HSUT). Awayr AI is currently in negotiations for paid pilots with major automakers.

Streo (Los Angeles, CA): Under the leadership of Arush and Pre Dhawan, Streo’s on-demand live events platform enables DJs and live bands to stream their events from all over the world. Artists can archive and distribute their live streamed gigs for paid access. Audiences can stream live events on demand for $10/month. Streo has live streamed 5,200 events with 1,400 artists at 600 nightclubs, and has had 250K user signups.

“We are honored to add these four startups to the gener8tor family,” said Jenni Le, Managing Director of gener8tor Madison. “Over the last few months, the gener8tor team has been working closely with each founder to focus on growth, mentorship and fundraising. We are so excited about the momentum each of these teams has going forward and cannot wait to see where they go.”

All four companies will pitch their business models to investors, entrepreneurs and the community during gener8tor’s virtual Premiere Night. The virtual Premiere Night will be held September 21 from 6:00 – 7:30 PM.

Please direct any questions about the gener8tor Madison program to managing director Jenni Le at jenni@gener8tor.com.

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About gener8tor

gener8tor’s turnkey platform for the creative economy connects startup founders, musicians, artists, investors, universities and corporations. The gener8tor platform includes pre-accelerators, accelerators, corporate programming, upskilling, conferences and fellowships.

Jenni Le
Managing Director
gener8tor Madison Accelerator

Jayne Patterson
Program Manager
gener8tor Madison Accelerator