From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with Erine Gray, founder and CEO of Findhelp.
The software company with offices in Madison operates a search engine for social services, which has grown over the past 16 years to now include more than 900,000 verified community programs across all 50 states.
The platform serves more than 800 customers, including health systems, government agencies and others.
“Everybody in the United States has a time of need, whether or not they struggle with paying the bills or maybe they have a kid that has a rare disease, so how do you find out what services are available to you?” Gray said.
He wanted to develop a platform to help others answer this question, providing information on nearby available programs based on their ZIP code.
“We are now working with most major health systems across the United States, a lot of health plans,” Gray said. “Typically, our customers tend to be those who hire large groups of social workers, so these are companies like Sanford Health, Marshfield Clinic, UW Health, MHS Health Wisconsin, Endeavor Health and some of the other ones that are there.”
More than 1.29 million Wisconsin residents have used Findhelp, having conducted more than 3.8 million searches for services through the platform. Within the state, the network has 1,665 community groups and more than 7,300 programs, with participation in all 72 counties.
Just in the past year — from July 2025 to June 2026 — users in the state have made 1.24 million searches on Findhelp and received more than 50,000 referrals. A total of just under 20,000 people in Wisconsin were referred to organizations for support during this time, according to figures provided by the company.
“We see food pantry as the number one search term, and that is throughout the state, as well as meals or help pay for housing,” he said.
Findhelp earlier this year received a $250 million investment from the global firm TPG, which Gray says will help the company “dive even deeper” into the social services space. It’s currently hiring at its offices in Madison.
Listen to the podcast here and see the full list of WisBusiness podcasts.
— Madison was ranked No. 9 among the top 10 fittest cities in the country by the American College of Sports Medicine.
The group says all of the top-rated cities were included for their high levels of physical activity, strong “active transportation systems,” broad access to parks and recreation and policies that support active lifestyles.
Stella Volpe, chair of the college’s Fitness Index Advisory Board, says the highest rated cities have built systems over time that support healthier living.
“They are the ones creating environments where physical activity can easily become a part of everyday routines,” Volpe said in a statement.
About 85% of Madison residents exercised in the previous month, while 65% are meeting aerobic activity guidelines, according to the report. Another 32.6% are meeting aerobic and strength activity guidelines, while 10% either bike or walk to work.
Just 5.2% of Madison residents smoke, the report shows, while 58.1% were in excellent or very good health.
Still, 31% of the city’s population is obese and 23.2% have high blood pressure, per the report.
See the release below.
See the full data set for the rankings.
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