Generative artificial intelligence has been all the rage in 2023, and that was reflected in the nominations for this year's Wisconsin Inno Fire Awards. As the region's innovation ecosystem continues to gain steam, many companies and organizations are focused on leveraging AI in various ways.
Now in its sixth year, the Fire Awards honors individuals, companies and organizations across the state that are setting the technology ecosystem ablaze.
MORE: Inno on Fire: 2023 Fire Awards
After seeking nominations, the Wisconsin Inno editorial team selected the following 15 finalists across three categories. A group of judges, including Wisconsin Technology Council president Tom Still and Frontdesk co-founder Kyle Weatherly, will select five winners.
Winners will be announced and featured later in December in the Milwaukee Business Journal and Wisconsin Inno.
Below is a list of the 2023 finalists for Wisconsin Inno's Fire Awards and some of their key accomplishments from the year. Information was submitted by the companies or on their behalf via the nomination forms.
Note: Wisconsin Inno sought nominations across five categories but narrowed it to three based on the nature of the nominations submitted.
Emerging technology finalists
- Adam Aerospace (Milwaukee): This blockchain-based data verification software firm has won three Air Force and Space Force contracts in the last two years, making it the fastest-growing U.S. defense contractor in Wisconsin. With the latest contracts won in 2023, the company is looking to double its development team by the end of the year.
- EnsoData (Madison): This software firm's AI-powered sleep study solution surpassed 1 million studies scored. The company also entered a new market, announcing its ability to apply its technology to therapy and treatment monitoring. It's on track to double its 2022 revenue in 2023.
- Golgix (Milwaukee): Providing AI solutions to the manufacturing sector, this startup closed on seed funding and has deployed its technology with two manufacturers in Nebraska and Wisconsin. The company is also partnering with local universities to allow professors and students to learn the tool free of charge.
- Wearable Technologies (Hartland): This startup is developing wearable safety devices that leverage AI to learn users' patterns and help prevent accidents. The company grew its customer base this year, has raised funding and plans to grow its employee base next year.
- 7Rivers (Milwaukee): Although it recently launched, this company founded by veteran tech entrepreneur Paul Stillmank has already grown to 25 employees, raised a capital round and acquired a business. The startup uses AI and machine learning to help companies leverage their data.
Ecosystem supporter finalists
- VC 414 (Milwaukee): This woman-owned venture capital firm launched at the start of 2023 and has already invested in at least six startups. Its focus is backing undercapitalized founders, including women and founders of color.
- Milwaukee Venture Partners (Milwaukee): This angel investing group invested $1 million in seven startups in 2023, including Madison-area virtual nursing startup Nurse Disrupted. The group has invested nearly $3.8 million since its inception in early 2021.
- Medical College of Wisconsin (Milwaukee): Through a partnership with the MKE Tech Hub Coalition, MCW's radiology and Center for Imaging Research departments have launched an apprenticeship program to train non-tech workers for roles in computer programming.
- Milwaukee Founders Community (Milwaukee): Having grown to more than 800 members, this organization has added events enabling founders to network with investors, created a group for female founders, and will soon launch a program facilitating partnerships between B2B SaaS startups and more established corporations.
- Milwaukee School of Engineering (Milwaukee): MSOE launched a graduate program in machine learning to help prepare students for in-demand jobs. It has nearly 30 students enrolled in its Master of Science in Machine Learning program, and additional students in its graduate certificate programs.
Inno Picks finalists
- Forj (Waukesha): This software firm saw explosive growth in 2023 and expects 10x revenue growth compared with last year. That growth was driven by expanding its customer base to 230 enterprise clients compared with fewer than 10 last year. It also grew its headcount to 65 employees, up from less than 10 in 2022.
- Generac Power Systems (Waukesha): Led by David Manske, Generac is adopting generative AI technologies. After Manske hosted the company's first-ever ChatGPT hackathon, the company is running three pilots to test the technology's use in applications including a customer service chatbot.
- Michael Best & Friedrich (Milwaukee): This law firm has grown its venture-focused practice, Venture Best, to more than 10 Wisconsin-based employees. Additionally, the firm appointed Sarah Alt its chief process and AI officer to spearhead its artificial intelligence initiatives.
- Midwest Games (Green Bay): Founded by a former Netflix employee, this video game publisher launched in 2023 and is focused on building Wisconsin's video game industry. The company, which says it is the first and only video game publisher in Wisconsin, recently raised $3 million in seed funding.
- NVNG Investment Advisors (Milwaukee and Madison): This firm brought more than 100 venture capitalists from across the county to Wisconsin in October for its +Venture North event at Rite-Hite's new headquarters in Milwaukee. The event had nearly 300 attendees and gave local startups and corporations unprecedented access to out-of-state investors.
