Startups

AB E Discovery’s mission is to commercialize entrepreneurial science, with a focus on bio-functional food and feed ingredients. It grew out of technology developed at UW-Madison by Professor Mark Cook and post-doctoral researcher Jordan Sand, who discovered an antibody in chicken eggs that could be used as an all-natural feed ingredient to support gut health in animals.

AIQ Solutions’ medical device software provides comprehensive treatment response assessments for people with metastatic cancer. The artificial intelligence-driven imaging technology allows researchers to better understand disease and physicians to manage patients more effectively. Co-founders include Robert Jeraj PhD and Glenn Liu MD from the University of Wisconsin.

The technology behind Alithic (formerly Earth Repair, Inc.) uses existing waste materials to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and safely stores it as a stable mineral, benefitting industries with hard-to-abate emissions. This cost-effective and sustainable air capture solution was developed by UW–Madison Professors Robert Anex and Bu Wang.

Atrility Medical was co-founded by a physician, a business professor, and biomedical engineers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The company is focused on improving lives through advances in medical device technology. Atrility’s first FDA cleared device, the AtriAmp, improves the speed and accuracy of electrocardiogram (ECG) technology to evaluate arrhythmias by providing continuous, real-time monitoring of post-operative patients.

AyrFlo is a novel respiratory monitoring device that can detect airway compromise by measuring airflow across the windpipe, detecting changes in breathing immediately and earlier than ‘surrogate’ factors like pulse oximetry. The company was co-founded by Pediatric Anesthesiologist Guelay Bilen-Rosas, MD, Radiologist Humberto Rosas, MD, and data scientist Irene Ong, PhD.

Boosted Chews was a startup company co-founded by Kit Chow (Biosystems Engineering) and Aditya Parihar (Chemical Engineering), who as UW—Madison seniors, invented its signature product: bite-sized, caffeinated chocolate. Read what these innovators are doing now.

BrainXell was founded by Professor Su-Chun Zhang. The company’s technology harnesses the potential of stem cells by directing their growth toward a specific neuron cell type. Its mission is to bring the most relevant neuronal cell models to researchers and develop stem cell therapy for neurological injuries and diseases in collaboration with the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.

Calimetrix was launched by physicians and researchers from the UW–Madison. They develop high-quality quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) phantoms for the MRI clinical and research community. Their phantoms are helping customers around the world facilitate clinical trials, provide quality assurance, and develop and test new quantitative imaging biomarkers.

Cellular Logistics’ proprietary biomaterial product promises to revitalize damaged heart tissue and improve outcomes for the estimated 30 million patients worldwide projected to suffer from heart failure by 2030. The company was co-founded by Professor Amish Raval and researcher Eric Schmuck at UW–Madison.

ChloBis Water, Inc. was working on developing an energy-efficient water desalination technology for the removal and reuse of salt compounds from saline water sources including wastewater, improving access to and preservation of freshwater sources. UW-Madison Professor of Chemistry Kyoung-Shin Choi, Assistant Scientist Do-Hwan Nam, and alum Margaret Lumley were founders.

CranioSure’s mobile app can detect the premature fusion of infant skull bones, and will become available to pediatricians, parents and others. The app is being developed by a UW–Madison team led by Assistant Professor of Craniofacial and Pediatric Plastic Surgery, Daniel Cho.

EduReality uses virtual reality for STEAM education and technical training, offering various simulations meant to encourage immersive learning. Educators can use this technology to teach students industry skills through risk-free trial and error, or to introduce them to environments that would be inaccessible otherwise. EduReality was co-founded by UW–Madison alumni Clayton Custer and Taylor Waddell. 

Elektrifi is developing portable microgrids: small, independent electricity networks that serve just a few users and are often powered by renewable energy sources. The company is based on technology that came out of the research of Giri Venkataramanan, UW–Madison Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and it was co-founded by Ashray Manur, Postdoctoral Research Associate in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Sarada, Professor in the Wisconsin School of Business.

Field Prophet turns the most unpredictable element in farming, the weather—into a powerful tool for every grower to use to their advantage. The app hosts data science experts that use local weather history to help predict potential risks of agriculture fields. Field Prophet’s tools aim to impact and improve sustainability in the agricultural industry.

Flux XII is a provider of sustainable energy batteries designed for cost-effective, safe, and long-duration energy storage. The innovative, rechargeable flow battery technology was developed in the lab of co-founder Dawei Feng, assistant professor of materials science and engineering at UW–Madison, in collaboration with co-founders Xiuliang Lyu and Patrick Sullivan.

FoodChain is a digital platform that allows producers to list, advertise, and sell their products in new markets while purchasers can browse an active inventory of local foods and have all their products consolidated into a single purchaser order and digital invoice. The company was co-founded by UW alum Ben Winters ’19 during the last year of his undergraduate degree program in the School of Business. FoodChain was acquired by the Dohmen Group in 2020.

Conceived by Wisconsin School of Business graduate Katie Haghighi, FR8 is a streamlined personal clothing donation service designed to reduce textile waste. The online platform allows users to schedule home pick-ups for their used clothes, which is sorted and redistributed within the community. This enables individuals to make small, actionable steps toward fighting climate change.

Happy Wellness offers a unique floor mat and digital communication system that facilitates physical and occupational therapy in a whole new way. The company was co-founded by UW–Madison Family Medicine Professor Dr. Paul Smith and Paul Mross, UW­-Madison research consultant on fall prevention and yoga.

Hello! Loom is a hand-held loom designed for easy, convenient, and small-scale weaving. It was developed by UW–Madison Professor of Design Studies Marianne Fairbanks alongside her social weaving project, the Weaving Lab.

Holos enables users to visualize, interact, and learn with virtual objects alongside experts, from building space crafts to surveying ancient Egyptian tombs. Co-founders and UW–Madison alumni Daniel Borkhus and Tyler Waite designed the virtual reality platform to allow instructors to immerse their students in virtual environments for advanced training, education, military command, and more.

Immuto Scientific is dedicated to developing breakthrough solutions that accelerate the drug discovery process for protein therapeutics used in the treatment of difficult-to-cure diseases such as cancer. The company was co-founded by post-doctoral researcher Faraz Choudhury and graduate student Daniel Benjamin, both with the UW–Madison Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

UW–Madison Assistant Professor of Entomology Emily Nick co-founded Insect Eavesdropper. The device uses cutting-edge technology to quickly and accurately identify and count crop pests. By providing valuable insights into insect dynamics, it can help farmers optimize crop health and facilitate proactive pest management.

KineVid uses machine vision and artificial intelligence to analyze, evaluate, and improve lifting ergonomics in the workplace to reduce the number of lower back injuries. The company was founded by Professor Robert Radwin in the College of Engineering.

Last Lock has created a way to transform any doorway or lock into a smart access control system. Unlike mechanical locks, the last lock cylinder uses a special scanning system allowing it to read and be opened by any desired physical key. It was invented by UW–Madison alum Jack Ryan.

Linectra is developing a high­ resolution and high-throughput 3D metal printer that serves as a platform for manufacturers to rapidly produce their own custom metal products. The company was co-founded by UW-Madison medical physics alum Brandon Walker, PhD and emeritus professor of Medical Physics Rock Mackie.

Mount Horeb Hemp was producing third-party certified CBD oil from its own locally-grown organic hemp flowers. It was founded by Kattia Jiménez, Project Manager for the UW–Madison All of Us research program.

My Home Stars was co-founded by Joel Baraka and Anson Liow while they were students at UW–Madison. The social enterprise aims to develop accessible, fun, and engaging curriculum-based games for school going children. Its first product is the 5 STAZ board game that is based on the Ugandan education curriculum and has been supporting learning for primary school children.

Nalox-ZONE is a free program designed to increase access to naloxone, a drug used to treat opioid overdoses. By distributing free rescue kits containing the drug throughout Wisconsin communities, they hope to prevent more opioid fatalities. Cindy Burzinski of UW-Madison Department of Family Medicine and Community Health is the lead on this project.

Neurosetta, co-founded by Randolph Ashton and Gavin Knight, uses the RosetteArray screening platform to assess compounds’ developmental neurotoxicity, targeting disorders like Spina Bifida and Autism. This platform enables rapid risk assessments in drug development, evaluating therapeutic options and providing mitigation strategies for neurodevelopmental disorder severity.

Phantech serves the biomedical imaging community with innovative phantom technology to drive more accurate, streamlined and standardized quantitative and quality management procedures. With a line of anthropomorphic phantoms designed to mimic human tissues, the company will support further development of personalized radiopharmaceutical therapy. It was co-founded by researchers from the UW–Madison Department of Radiology.

ProPhounD provides career preparation to grad students and postdocs, focusing on assisting them in the transition from academia to industry so they can achieve their full potential and impact. The company works collaboratively with employers worldwide to guide them to finding their next team member. Morgridge Institute for Research postdoc fellow Alyssa Adams is one of the founders.

Pyran has developed a sustainable process to use renewable wood and crop waste resources to produce key ingredients used in paints and coatings. The company was founded by postdoctoral researchers Kevin Barnett and Chemical and Biological Engineering Professor George Huber.

Re Mixers develops and manufactures high-end mixing technologies while working towards eliminating material waste. Their latest commercialized technology, Xenex, eliminates past flaws of traditional industrial mixers and tops charts in mixing performance. The company was co-founded by UW–Madison alumni, Brian Pekron, PhD, Research Assistant Eric Ronning, and Professor Tim Osswald of Mechanical Engineering.

Realta Fusion offers a clean, safe, and affordable alternative source of high quality heat for industrial use. Instead of relying on nuclear fission, its technology uses a fusion process, which does not create long-lived radioactive nuclear waste. The company was founded by UW–Madison Professors Cary Forest, Jay Anderson, Oliver Schmitz, Ben Lindley, and Senior Fellow with COWS Kieran Furlong.

Co-founded by Caroline (Chief Resident at University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics) and Luke Burkey, Samsara is a virtual classroom for healthcare teams to develop the essential teamwork skills needed to provide the best care to patients. Create, customize, and easily run workshops, guided by educator tools for more effective management.

SixLine Semiconductor, co-founded by Professor Michael S. Arnold and UW–Madison alumna Katy Jinkins, modernizes conventional semiconductors fabricated with silicon materials. Their revolutionary device relies on carbon nanotubes, which outperform silicon in both cost-efficiency and performance.

SteadyShot is a device that is intended to help stabilize the injection site during the injection of drugs using a needle. The device is being developed as an add-on for insulin pen needles that help diabetics inject insulin. It was invented by UW–Madison alum Shawn Michels while he was a junior in the School of Business.

StemPharm was co-founded by Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Orthopedics Bill Murphy. The company develops biomaterials and human organoids to aid in drug discovery, cell therapy and regenerative medicine.

Tamara McLean combines AI technology and human creativity to create art that pushes boundaries in her most recent installation, They Said, a visual tour through the history of women in graphic design amidst a rapidly changing technological landscape.

Ubicept develops advanced image sensors that integrate with cutting-edge computer vision algorithms, revolutionizing machine perception and enabling superior motion capture for clients. Co-founders include UW–Madison Postdoctoral Research Associate Sebastian Bauer, PhD, and Tristan Swedish, PhD.

Using high-speed graphics processing, Voximetry‘s technology helps deliver personalized radiopharmaceutical therapy (a radioactive drug)—a safe, effective and targeted approach to tumor treatment. The co-founding UW-Madison Department of Medical Physics team includes Bryan Bednarz, Joseph Grudzinski and Paul Wickre.

Yips Snacks is a yogurt-based healthy snack food company created by UW–Madison student Erin Vranas and her husband Dimitri. Their initial product line is Yips Yogurt Chips, the first shelf-stable, crunchy chips made from probiotic yogurt.