FRI AM News: WisBusiness: the Podcast with Jessica Martin Eckerly, Forward BIOLABS; Assembly approves online gaming bill

February 20, 2026

— This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with returning guest Jessica Martin Eckerly, CEO and co-founder of Forward BIOLABS.

The discussion explores the Innovation to Commercialization Pipeline program, one element of the broader Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub initiative that landed nearly $50 million in federal dollars in 2024 for projects to advance the state’s biohealth sector. That effort was supported by 2023 Wisconsin Act 96, which provided $7.5 million to lead partner BioForward.

“This has been a few years in the making and in the planning, so it’s really wonderful to have done round one, and announced these fantastic startups to receive this first round of non-dilutive funding,” Martin Eckerly said.

Forward BIOLABS and BioForward Wisconsin recently announced the 18 awardees, including companies in the life sciences, medical devices, pharmaceuticals and other industries. Each is getting between $25,000 and $75,000 for commercialization efforts, meant to help early-stage companies clear early milestones.

“What are their key things, what are investors asking about, and where can we put a small amount of capital to help them … If we give them an inch, they’re going to get a mile out of these dollars,” she said.

In choosing the awardees, the ICP committee weighed scalability, the company’s team, specific project goals and potential impact.

Martin Eckerly discusses the future of the program, which will issue a second round of funding this year, giving companies another opportunity to get support for reaching their goals.

She also explains how the initiative ties into the Tech Hub effort, which seeks to build on the state’s designation as a “powerhouse” around biohealth. That reputation was built in part by major players in the state, including Epic, Exact Sciences, Promega and GE HealthCare, Martin Eckerly said.

“The projects are aimed at helping our state grow the next set of companies,” she said. “It’s aimed at strengthening our expertise and our companies in this area of biohealth. It’s a big honor to be a state that has a designation.”

Listen to the podcast and see the full list of WisBusiness.com podcasts.

See more Tech Hub coverage.

— The state Assembly has approved legislation to allow online gaming in Wisconsin.

The bill has drawn opposition from conservative groups, as well as a new coalition of outlets that already provide online gaming in other states. That prompted speculation of whether leadership would put the bill on the floor if it needed Dem votes to pass.

In the end, it cleared the chamber via voice vote with no debate.

Current law only allows gaming in Wisconsin on tribal lands. AB 601 would allow online bets so long as they went through servers on tribal lands. The bill is based on a “hub and spoke system” used in Florida that has been upheld by the federal courts.

It was the second time GOP leadership put the bill on a calendar. They originally planned a vote Nov. 19 but pulled it to continue lining up caucus support.

The bill would now need to clear the Senate before it could go to Gov. Tony Evers, who has expressed a willingness to sign it.

The Senate version cleared a committee with bipartisan support and opposition. That includes Sens. Rachael Cabral-Guevara, R-Fox Crossing, and André Jacque, R-New Franken, opposing the bill. Unless at least one of them changes their mind, that would leave backers short of 17 GOP votes to pass the bill in the state Senate.

— Marshfield Medical Center was the first in Wisconsin to implant a new Medtronic heart arrhythmia device, leading to “an excellent outcome” for the recipient patient.

That’s according to Dr. Weijia Wang, the cardiologist who performed the procedure in January.

“Performing a first‑in‑state, launch‑day implant requires precision, coordination, and a team ready to rise to the moment,” she said in a release. “I’m incredibly proud of the expertise and readiness our staff demonstrated — and most importantly, we delivered an excellent outcome for our patient.”

Sanford Health, the health system that merged with Marshfield Clinic Health System last year, yesterday announced the Marshfield facility was the first in the state to implant the Medtronic OmniaSecure device. This implantable cardioverter-defibrillator, or ICD, lead is used to normalize patient heart rhythms.

The health system says the new technology is less invasive, noting it’s the smallest ICD lead in the world. Because it enables the use of fewer leads, compared to the typical two or three needed, patients recover more quickly following the procedure, according to the announcement.

The OmniaSecure product was launched domestically on Jan. 8, the same day that Marshfield Clinic used the device. The center has now performed the procedure on six patients, and Wang says the first recipient is “doing excellent.”

See the release.

— Chorus Community Health Plans has expanded to 68 of Wisconsin’s 72 counties, and plans to reach the last four by next year.

The insurance organization, which is affiliated with Children’s Wisconsin, yesterday announced the expansion that adds 27 counties to its coverage area in the state.

CCHP says it’s working with providers and health systems to expand coverage to Burnett, Pierce, Polk and St. Croix counties in western Wisconsin in 2027.

“This expansion will allow us to positively impact more individuals and communities across the state,” CCHP President Mark Rakowski said in a statement on the move.

See the release.

— The state Senate has approved several bills seeking to limit the influence of foreign adversaries in Wisconsin, including one related to human genetic data and related technologies.

AB 673 would bar state hospitals and universities from using genetic software created by a foreign adversary nation or storing human genome sequencing data within a foreign adversary domicile. The bill includes an exception for data collected as part of clinical trials or biomedical research that follow federal regulations protecting personal and government data.

The Senate approved it 20-13 with Sen. Brad Pfaff, D-Onalaska and Sen. Sarah Keyeski, D-Lodi, joining Republicans in favor.

The Senate has also approved AB 674, which would bar insurers from covering organ transplant from a country known to have participated in forced organ harvesting, like China.

The Senate approved it 21-12 with Pfaff, Keyeski and Sen. Bob Wirch, D-Pleasant Prairie, joining Republicans in favor.

See more Senate action in Quorum Call.

For more of the most relevant health care news, reports on groundbreaking research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics and WisBusiness.com.

Sign up here.

— The Wisconsin Technology Council will host this year’s Wisconsin Tech Summit at Oshkosh Corp.’s headquarters, with a new focus on AI and other tech.

The group yesterday announced the summit will be held April 30 in Oshkosh, noting a departure from previous years when the event focused on strategic meetings between established firms and startups.

Instead, the event will have a “major emphasis” on AI with sessions grounded in real-world applications for the technology. The one-day summit will explore four key factors: health care, financial services, agriculture and energy, and manufacturing.

“We’re excited to evolve the Wisconsin Tech Summit in 2026,” Tech Council President Maggie Brickerman said in a statement. “By shifting the focus to the technology itself — especially artificial intelligence — we’re creating a space where CIOs, innovators and practitioners can share real-world insights that matter to Wisconsin companies and communities.”

See the release and get more event details here.

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