Startup Wisconsin Podcast

“If you're a founder without any sort of Forward BIOLABS, you have some experiments that you need to do. And without anything like this, they have to think, ‘Well, how am I gonna get that done?’” Jessica reflects on her 20 plus years of experience moving academic discoveries into the marketplace and explains why biotech founders face such high barriers to entry. From expensive lab equipment, safet...

“I cannot wait till like I'm somewhere up in Northern Wisconsin, I stop and open the door, and there's the founder of a company that came from this process.” In this episode, I sit down with Jon Eckhardt, Pyle Bascom Professor at the Wisconsin School of Business, to explore the university’s push to become more founder forward. Jon shares why entrepreneurship should be treated as a true career path...

“If nobody else is going to do this, I'm gonna jump in with both feet and I'm gonna make it happen.” In this episode, I sit down with Justin Byers, founder and CEO of Axio BioPharma, to explore how his company is solving one of biotech's most overlooked bottlenecks: the broken flow of data between early-stage research and large-scale manufacturing. Through AI-powered data pipelines, Axio is helpin...

“Every entrepreneur in Wisconsin has a place in this community.” In this episode, I chat with Angela Damiani, CEO and Co-founder of NEWaukee, a brand engagement agency that has been making waves with its innovative activations, events, and community-building efforts. Angela shares the story of how NEWaukee, initially a social club for entrepreneurs, evolved into a thriving agency and a leader in f...

“There’s no reason every small business in Wisconsin shouldn’t use this.” In this episode, I chat with Russell From , President and Co-Founder of WayFi Wireless , a company revolutionizing connectivity for businesses and nonprofits across Wisconsin and the world. He shares the inspiring journey of how WayFi Wireless uses cutting-edge technology to fix cellular dead zones by leveraging wifi, withou...

Podcast Sponsor The Startup Wisconsin Podcast is presented by Valency Fund . Episode Notes “It shouldn’t be this hard to do good in this world.” In this episode, I sit down with Jillian Bichanich , a Wisconsin-born founder and builder, to discuss how she is growing two mission-driven startups at the same time. Jillian shares her journey as the co-founder of Cubbi , an app designed to support famil...

In this episode, I sit down with Michael Ceely , a high-performance coach for executives, entrepreneurs, and athletes, to talk about why founders get stuck in fear, anxiety spirals, and self-sabotage. He brings a rare perspective to the founder mindset because he knows when someone needs coaching and when they actually need therapy. Michael reframes imposter syndrome as a normal response to new si...

"Everyone's recovering from something." Millions struggle to find the treatment they need, often unsure where to begin. That’s where Ben Camp , CEO and co-founder of Recovery.com , comes in. Ben is leading a revolution in how people access addiction and mental health care, making it easier and more trustworthy than ever before. In this episode, Ben discusses how Recovery.com built a patient-first...

University research is generating breakthrough ideas, but who's turning them into companies? Jessica Silvaggi of the UW Milwaukee Research Foundation explains why inventors become entrepreneurs by default and what Wisconsin's ecosystem is missing. Key Topics → How the UW Milwaukee Research Foundation commercializes university research → The Catalyst Grant: $6.27M deployed, $49M in follow-on fundin...

Not every good business needs venture capital. Laura Strong of Valency Fund breaks down funding alternatives for Wisconsin startups in tech, manufacturing, and agribusiness. Key Topics → Alternative financing: revenue-based financing, redeemable equity, structured exits → Why not every good business fits the venture capital model → The math behind VC fund expectations (10x returns in 3-5 years) →...

Shantanu Singh didn't follow a straight path to becoming a founder. Cell biology researcher → prosecutor → AI startup co-founder. But every "dot" he dropped along the way prepared him for this moment. When ChatGPT launched, it felt like discovering fire. In this episode of the Startup Wisconsin Podcast, Shantanu breaks down what makes Obviate.ai different from typical AI wrappers, why most AI prod...

Key Topics Covered → The housing crisis facing healthcare travelers and medical students → Midterm rental market opportunities and challenges → Balancing medical residency with startup entrepreneurship → Building partnerships with Madison real estate companies → Creating startup communities within healthcare systems → Property vetting and quality control processes → The unique advantages healthcar...

SmartCert tackles the complex world of manufacturing documentation - every bolt that goes into an airplane needs a complete "birth certificate" proving its origins, manufacturing process, and compliance standards. For decades, this critical process has been manual and paper-based, creating bottlenecks and errors throughout supply chains from small manufacturers to Boeing and Airbus. 🔻 Key Topics...

Nick Myers recently sold his Madison-based AI startup RedFox AI to recovery.com, where he now serves as Director of AI Innovation. In this episode, Nick shares the complete journey from founding his healthcare AI company to successfully exiting after five years. RedFox AI tackled one of the most critical challenges in artificial intelligence: preventing hallucinations when AI systems guide patient...

In this episode, we explore: → How evolution guides modern drug discovery → Why ground squirrels are going to space with NASA → The surprising advantages of doing biotech in Wisconsin → Building academic-industry partnerships outside major hubs → Creating scientific community in the Fox Valley What is Fauna Bio? Fauna Bio leverages millions of years of evolution by studying animals that naturally...

We chat with Casey Cammilleri, CEO and founder of Sprocket Security, a Madison-based cybersecurity company that's revolutionizing how businesses approach penetration testing. Casey started as a solo penetration tester - essentially getting paid to legally hack into companies to find vulnerabilities - but realized he could help more organizations by building software to scale that expertise. What m...

Join us for an in-depth conversation with Dan Fogarty, a thought leadership strategist who helps founders and executives tell their stories authentically through content that drives real business results. Dan brings a fascinating background - he started as a journalist at major outlets like USA Today and the Boston Globe, but a boxing-related concussion led him to leave traditional media and build...

Join us for an in-depth conversation with Nati Solomon Fett and Colin Guest, the cofounders of Syrenn, a Madison-based AI-powered sales training platform that's revolutionizing how sales teams practice high-stakes conversations. In this episode, we explore Syrenn's unique approach to sales training - moving beyond traditional role-playing to create AI-powered scenarios that actually help sales rep...

Join us for an in-depth conversation with Beth Ott, Director of Entrepreneurial Programming at StartingBlock in Madison, as we explore the evolution of entrepreneurship education and community building in Wisconsin. In this episode Beth shares her unique journey from educator to entrepreneur, co-founding House on Jenny Street and teaching the innovative "Clark Tank" program. We dive deep into Star...

Welcome to the Startup Wisconsin Podcast! Join hosts Jacob Miller and Andrew Verboncouer as they share their vision for building a thriving statewide tech startup community across Wisconsin. In this first episode: 🏛️ How we're supporting founders from Green Bay to Milwaukee to Madison 🎯 Our approach to year-round community building beyond just Startup Week 🤝 Plans for supper clubs, mentorship pr...