Innovators

ProPhounD, co-founded by Alyssa Adams, Ali Deastch, and Andrew Kusick, is a program aimed at counseling research scientists and facilitating their transition into impactful roles outside of academia, pairing talented scientists with causes that they are passionate about. 

Through their innovation, Alithic, Robert Anex and Bu Wang have developed a new way to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and permanently transform it into a sustainable building material.

Randolph Ashton and Gavin Knight, co-founders of Neurosetta, have developed a novel, scalable approach to bioengineer reproducible cell culture models of brain and spinal cord development.

Joel Baraka and Anson Liow co-founded My Home Stars, an educational board game for Ugandan students. Their mission is to improve access to quality education in refugee camps for children across the country.

Kevin Barnett and George Huber, co-founders of Pyran, are paving the way for the future of sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based chemicals

Bryan Bednarz is a UW–Madison professor who co-founded Voximetry, a healthtech company specializing in sophisticated tools to accurately and efficiently monitor radiopharmaceutical therapy in cancer patients.

Through The Insect Eavesdropper, an autonomous pest monitoring device, Emily Bick sets out to make sustainable agricultural practices more accessible and effective worldwide

Guelay Bilen-Rosas and her team at AyrFlo are developing a novel respiratory monitoring device that detects breathing problems in patients early, quantitatively, and in real time.

Jean Brittain, Diego Hernando, and Scott Reeder have designed phantoms that ensure accurate results in imaging methods for disease diagnosis and clinical trials with their company, Calimetrix.

Cindy Burzinski, on a mission to increase community access to live-saving materials for those struggling with substance use disorders, is spearheading the Nalox-ZONE program.

Dr. Daniel Cho, a pediatric plastic surgeon at UW–Madison, is revolutionizing craniosynostosis care with Craniosure—an AI-powered smartphone tool that helps pediatricians and parents spot the condition early, ensuring infants get the right treatment at the right time.

Immuto Scientific founders, Faraz Choudhury and Daniel Benjamin, are developing technology that uses protein footprinting to revolutionize drug discovery and therapeutics development.

Kit Chow and Aditya Singh Parihar were undergraduate students and co-founders of Boosted Chews, a startup that produced bite-sized caffeinated chocolate. Find out what these innovators are doing now.

EduReality founders Clayton Custer and Taylor Waddell are developing technology that will allow STEM students to explore educational simulations through virtual reality.

Paolo Desiati and Elena D’Onghia are developing technology to shield astronauts from harmful cosmic radiation during space travel, Halbach Torus.

In the race to push manufacturing into the future, Dr. Luis Izet Escano and Dr. Lianyi Chen are pioneering advancements in metal 3D printing with their innovation, 3D Powder Tech.

Kattia Jiménez is a UW–Madison staff member and the founder of Mount Horeb Hemp, a company that produces CBD oil from locally grown plants.

Katy Jinkins, the CEO and co-founder of Sixline Semiconductor, is seeking to revolutionize the electronics industry by developing semiconductor devices that vastly outperform those conventionally fabricated with silicon.

ChloBis Water, Inc. co-founders Margaret Lumley and Dohwan Nam, along with Kyoung-Shin Choi are on a mission to unlock the potential of water desalination.

Tamara McLean seeks to show how art can be made when AI technologies intersect with human creativity in her showcase, “They Said,”

Kiki Mei seeks to create a more sustainable and fashionable future through her optimized thrifting platform, FR8.

Shawn Michels founded SteadyShot while he was an undergraduate student in the School of Business. The company developed a one-handed injection device for diabetics.

Paul Mross is a UW–Madison consultant on research exploring yoga and fall prevention. He is the co-founder of Happy Wellness, a company that has created a unique mat and communication system to facilitate therapy.

Bill Murphy is a professor of biomedical engineering and co-founder of Stem Pharm, a company that develops stem cells to aid in drug discovery, cell therapy and regenerative medicine.

Melissa Skala and her team are developing biomedical optical imaging technologies for cancer research, cell therapy, and immunology.

The increasingly urgent issue of crop loss drove Damon Smith, Roger Schmidt, and Teryl Schmidt to design the solution; Field Prophet, an app that predicts crop loss risks and revolutionizes disease management for growers.

Jim Steele is a professor of food science at UW–Madison and founder of Lactic Solutions (acquired by Lallemand). Steele’s innovation uses lactic acid to increase yields in the ethanol production process.

UW–Madison PhD student Patrick Sullivan is a Co-Founder and CEO of Flux XII, a flow battery grid energy storage technology that offers a more effective, cost-efficient, and sustainable method of storing energy.

Erin Vranas developed the concept for Yips Yogurt Chips while a student at UW–Madison. The treats are designed for those who want an easy, good-for-you snack to eat on the go.

Ben Winters co-founded FoodChain as an undergraduate student in the School of Business. It provides an innovative digital solution to connect growers and consumers.