Innovators

At D2P, we work with all kinds of creative individuals on campus to help develop their innovative ideas. Some call themselves entrepreneurs. Others favor terms like “pioneer” or “mad scientist.” Some are still exploring and learning, and some have launched successful startups and licensed technologies. All of them are bright and dedicated, and we’d like to introduce you to just a few of them. View our startup companies here.

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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.

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.

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

Immuto Scientific founder, Faraz Choudhury, is developing technology that uses protein footprinting to revolutionize drug discovery and therapeutic development.

Kit Chow and Aditya Singh Parihar are undergraduate students and co-founders of Boosted Chews, a startup that produces bite-sized caffeinated chocolate.

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.

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.

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.

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 imaging technology to predict the most effective cancer treatments.

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 started Yips Yogurt Chips while a student at UW–Madison. The treats were 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.