Six Madison-area startup companies will compete later this month for the chance to meet with Silicon Valley venture capital firms in the fall.
This year’s Pressure Chamber competition, hosted by the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, is taking place Aug. 20 as part of Forward Festival. This annual celebration of technology and entrepreneurship takes place Aug. 19-23 with dozens of events in and around Madison.
Pressure Chamber, now in its 11th year, gives participating early-stage business leaders an opportunity to pitch to a live audience and national investors — but only the winning company will receive the “golden suitcase” award that secures them a spot on the chamber’s trip to California in late September and early October.
Participating companies have gone on to collectively raise more than $500 million in investment capital, according to the chamber.
Chamber President Zach Brandon says the competition “continues to be a prime opportunity to enhance connectivity with coastal investors” while elevating innovation happening in the region.
“We look forward to hearing from this exciting new group of emerging companies that will help write the next chapter in Greater Madison’s story,” he said in a statement.
Presenting finalists include:
*CranioSure, based in Madison. This company has a mobile app that can identify cranial malformation in infants early enough to avoid more complex surgeries. CranioSure won this year’s Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest, and CEO Dr. Daniel Cho appeared on a recent episode of “WisBusiness.com: the Show.”
*Cubby, also in Madison, which has a “family productivity” software tool that can help parents keep track of events, message their kids, leave notes and more. The chamber’s release notes the company uses AI in its platform, which is currently available for download.
*Maize, a Verona-based company that maps the local food system to give users insights on where products come from. It also offers small food companies a community-building platform centered around sustainable business practices.
*SideShift, a Madison startup that aims to improve the job seeking process for young people while giving local businesses access to more potential workers. Its application allows students to apply to multiple jobs at once.
*SixLine Semiconductor, a Madison business that’s developing advanced materials with “carbon nanotubes,” seeking to create the next generation of semiconductor devices. Another prior winner of the Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest, the company aims to enable new electronic devices powered by this emerging technology.
*Terra Bioforge, based in Middleton. The company is developing genetic engineering tools to discover and produce valuable biological compounds and new drugs, “improving product yield, decreasing costs, and increasing revenues” for customers in the agrichemical and pharmaceutical industries.
See more at Madison Startups.
