At the Biotech in WI Meetup this week, we learned about the Biotechnology elective at West, Memorial and La Follette high schools in Madison. Lisa Wachtel, Science Coordinator for Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD), provide background about one of the hands-on laboratory opportunities available during the school day. MMSD Biotechnology Program Needs Although the discussion
Tag: madison
The Gift of Achievement – through Activity
Tri 4 Schools is a non-profit organization that uses athletic events as a platform to get kids active and fight childhood obesity. I am helping raise $500 for Madison-based Tri 4 Schools by the end of 2013 to pay for shuttle transportation for kids that otherwise couldn’t get to a Tri 4 Schools event. I
Next Community Experiment: WI Biotech Newsletter
I am trying a new community building experiment: aggregating Wisconsin biotech industry news into newsletter format. I’ve been pondering this approach for a while now and the most recent Biotech in Wisconsin meetup tipped the scales. Katie Hill from Luminex engaged the group around social media in the life sciences and indicated that scientists are
WI VC Investment: Down (& Out?) in Q3 ’13
The venture capital investment numbers are out for the Q3 2013 (courtesy of NVCA & PwC). I am usually not particularly interested in the quarterly fluctuations but the Wisconsin numbers caught my eye, particularly relative to the national data. National VC Environment The national data across industries puts investment from Q1 to Q3 in 2013 at $20.7B, which compares favorably
Biotechnology at the World Dairy Expo
When people talk about biotechnology, agriculture is not necessarily top of mind for many people. Getting caught up in your own corner of biotech is easy to do, even when you learn about the billion dollar big data acquisition Monsanto or read that agriculture is expected to be the primary driver behind sales of unmanned
How Do You Build Networks When You Can’t Say Anything?
This post is either a bold or a completely misguided attempt to mix the practical steps of networking with the (idealistic?) notion that we as members of an innovation region have a responsible to build and maintain strong networks. In March, I told you about a community building experiment, the Biotech in Wisconsin Meetup group.
High-Tech Startup Density in Wisconsin
Engine and Kaufmann Foundation recently published a report called “Tech Starts: High-Technology Business Formation and Job Creation in the United States”. While most of the report focuses on job creation by high-tech relative to other private sector businesses, I was particularly interested in the determination of high-tech startup density across the country. The author used
Engineering Capital Flow: Thoughts on Wisconsin & Beyond
Late last month there was a formal announcement of a new $30 million information technology venture capital fund in the state of Wisconsin called 4490 Ventures. The fund is the creation of the State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB) and the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF). The fund will be seed stage, investing $0.5 to
Madison Tech: Opportunity to Recycle?
An interesting question that came up at the Spring Tech Kickoff last week: what tech success stories have there been in Madison? It is immediately clear that good financial returns for tech investors are important for continued enthusiasm for investment. However, another large factor in success stories is how/whether experienced management is recycled in the
Connecting with Biotech in Wisconsin – April Edition
*This piece was cross posted on the Biotech in Wisconsin blog.* For the last couple of months, the Biotech in Wisconsin blog provided a list of local biotech events but this month I wanted to take it a small step further with two ways to get more involved with your biotech community. Invite Others We
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