Via Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – August 26, 2014 – Ten winners, ranging from a mobile law clinic to a device that detects infections using a breath sample, were named at the inaugural Wisconsin Innovation Awards ceremony Tuesday night.
Organizers received about 150 submissions from across the state for the awards, said Joe Boucher, a Madison lawyer who is one of the organizers of the event. Five of the 10 winners are from Milwaukee, three from Madison, one from Appleton and one from Eau Claire.
Winners received a unique trophy — a light bulb encased in a glass block — during a ceremony Tuesday night at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Memorial Union.
Boucher and Matt Younkle, founder of Murfie.com and co-founder of Capital Entrepreneurs, came up with the idea for the awards after Younkle was a 2005 winner in the Chicago Innovation Awards. Their goal was to bring together innovative thinkers from a range of sectors across the state.
“It’s about seeing the scope of things and having an appreciation for what’s out there,” Boucher said.
A steering committee of business, community and entrepreneurial leaders administered the program. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is among the event’s sponsors.
The awards were part of the Forward Technology Festival, which runs through Thursday. Between 2,000 and 3,000 people are expected to attend the 20 events that make up the festival, now in its fifth year, organizers have said.
Winners of the innovation awards were:
Boldt Construction, Appleton
for a delivery system based on worker collaboration.
Milwaukee Water Council
for its BREW accelerator for freshwater start-ups.
Discovery World, Milwaukee
for its design futurist summer internship program that gives young people experience using technology like laser cutters.
Isomark LLC, Madison
for its Canary Breath Delta Value Analyzer, which detects infection using a breath sample.
Milwaukee Bar Association and Marquette University
for their Milwaukee Justice Center Mobile Legal Clinic.
Microbe Detectives, Milwaukee
which uses DNA sequencing to study microbes in our water.
RAI Stone Analytics, Eau Claire
for its low-cost, easy-to-use business analytics system.
Scanalytics, Milwaukee
for its sensor technology that detects movement and analyzes and stores related data.
Stemina Biomarker Discovery Inc., Madison
for its technology using human cells that tests compounds that may cause birth defects.
Vitacycle, Madison
a modular system that uses recyclable materials, which fit on a bicycle trailer, to grow affordable, nutritious food in urban environments.
More information is available at: www.wisconsininnovationawards.com
Read the article on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel site HERE.