The Idea Fund of La Crosse has raised $31.5 million for a second venture capital fund, targeting startups in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa.  The VC firm yesterday announced the fund, which aims to invest in pre-revenue and early-stage businesses in agriculture, manufacturing, health care and logistics.  The release notes the

Epic is rolling out a new personalized care data tool, which aims to give doctors crucial patient insights.  That’s according to Phil Lindemann, vice president of data and analytics informatics for the Verona-based electronic health records company. He spoke yesterday during In Business magazine’s Health Care Summit in Madison.  He

The winner of last year’s Governor’s Business Plan Contest, SixLine Semiconductor’s Katy Jinkins, says her approach to tech challenges is to “fail fast” and frequently as part of the innovation process.  Jinkins, the Middleton-based startup company’s CEO, co-founder and co-inventor, was a featured speaker during a recent Wisconsin Technology Council

Stoughton Trailers has broken ground on its new global headquarters project, which CEO and President Bob Wahlin hopes will help elevate Stoughton as a destination for young professionals and their families.  The semitrailer manufacturer early last year announced its plans for the new headquarters, replacing the office building it had

UW-Madison engineers have developed a method for improving the body’s uptake of certain gene therapies through controlled electrical stimulation.  In a recent study published in the journal PLOS ONE, electrical engineering researchers found that delivering harmless pulses of electricity to liver cells caused them to absorb 40 times as much

In a recent report, a UW-Madison think tank found instructional staff growth at the university hasn’t kept up with rising undergraduate enrollment.  The Center for Research on the Wisconsin Economy, or CROWE, recently released a report called “Administrative Intensity at UW-Madison,” the fourth in a series focused on the economics

The greater Madison area is seeing “significant” improvements in housing inventory as the market stabilizes, according to a local real estate executive.  Stark Company Realtors President David Stark says this spring brings “far less uncertainty” than was present in early 2023, when rising mortgage rates led to confusion among analysts

The MMAC’s latest business outlook survey found relatively low expectations for growth in the second quarter.  Bret Mayborne, economic research director for the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, notes respondents expressed concern about continuing economic growth in the coming months.  “That concern was reflected with less than half of those

The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce is forming a new future-looking work group called N2, which stands for the Next Normal.  In a recent interview, Chamber President Zach Brandon noted “the pandemic dust hasn’t settled yet” and underlined persistent economic uncertainty.  “We just don’t know where things are going to

The WEDC Board of Directors has approved up to $15.5 million in performance-based tax credits for Kikkoman Foods’ planned $800 million expansion, Gov. Tony Evers announced.  That total project dollar figure covers expanding the Japanese company’s existing soy sauce brewing plant in Walworth and building a new 240,000-square-foot facility in

Middleton-based Leo Cancer Care has agreed to install its radiotherapy positioning device at an advanced cancer treatment facility in Italy.  The company yesterday announced its deal with the National Center for Oncological Hadrontherapy in Pavia, Italy. Under the agreement, the Italian center will acquire one of Leo Cancer Care’s Marie

The first part of Wisconsin’s application to a national broadband funding program has been accepted by federal officials.  PSC Broadband Expansion Manager Rory Tikalsky yesterday told members of the Governor’s Task Force on Broadband Access of the approval, representing a step forward in Wisconsin’s plans for using BEAD funding.  The

Visit Milwaukee has rolled out a revamped brand and logo, with plans to promote it over the next 18 months through influencer campaigns, sponsorships, commercials and more.  The tourism organization yesterday unveiled its first rebrand since the current brand and logo were created in 2005, according to the release. Visit

The head of the Citizens Utility Board of Wisconsin expects WEC Energy Group utilities’ rate increases for 2025 and 2026 will be “well below” what the Milwaukee-based company is seeking.  In rate cases filed recently with the Public Service Commission, We Energies and Wisconsin Public Service Corp. are seeking more

President Jay Rothman says it is up to the state to decide whether it can afford a “weakened” Universities of Wisconsin as he released third-party assessments of seven campuses’ finances.

UW-Madison Prof. Mark Eppli says a lack of new home lot creation is a top challenge for Wisconsin as housing demand continues to outstrip supply.  Eppli, who directs the university’s James A. Graaskamp Center for Real Estate, was the keynote speaker for yesterday’s 2024 Wisconsin Economic Forecast Luncheon in Madison.

With the 2024 Republican National Convention in Downtown Milwaukee less than 100 days away, organizers say area businesses can soon expect to see increased interest in booking space. A New York Times article noted some area venues and restaurants had concerns about a dearth of bookings so far for the

SHINE Technologies has submitted its drug master file to the FDA for a material used in precision cancer treatment.  The Janesville-based company yesterday announced the submission for non-carrier added lutetium-177 chloride, or Lu-177. This radiopharmaceutical is used alongside a cancer-seeking molecule to attack cancer cells, and is “especially useful” against

ThedaCare’s Neenah facility has been using AI-assisted robotic helpers in recent weeks to lessen the workload on nurses and other hospital workers.  The health system on Friday announced ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah is the first hospital in Wisconsin to deploy the Moxi robotic solutions system, developed by Texas-based robotics firm