Wisconsin tech is heating up.
From a newly launched $100 million venture fund in Milwaukee, to Foxconn's $100 million donation to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for its engineering and innovation research, to the work being done by gener8tor, Northwestern Mutual, and many others, the momentum in the state's innovation economy is clear.
But to push Wisconsin forward and to continue boosting its reputation as a place for startups, its youngest residents need to prove the state is capable of producing disruptive, scalable companies. To take a look at some of Wisconsin's impressive up-and-coming founders, techies, builders and other startup leaders, Wisconsin Inno has compiled its inaugural 25 Under 25 List.
Those on the list were chosen based on nominations received and our editorial selection process. Below, in no particular order, are Wisconsin Inno's 25 Under 25.
1, 2: Davis Marklin (22) and Alec Shaw (22) Marquette Blockchain Lab: Marklin and Shaw run the Marquette Blockchain Lab, a burgeoning resource for blockchain-related innovation in the Milwaukee area. The lab's goal is to play an important role locally in fostering innovation and collaboration across a range of industries, as more and more businesses are adopting blockchain technologies.
3: Derek Urben (21) Coinigy: Urben co-founded cryptocurrency startup Coinigy, an app that gives serious crypto traders the tools they need to buy, sell and manage their portfolios on the go. The app has around 80,000 users, roughly half of which pay around $20 per month for the product—which offers data on more than 40 exchanges and the ability for users to trade on nearly 20 exchanges.
4. Max Fergus (23) Live Undiscovered Music: Fergus is the founder of Live Undiscovered Music (or LÜM), a streaming music platform and social network that helps up-and-coming artists grow their fanbase. LÜM "gamifies" music discovery by letting fans rank and share new music with friends in their network. Last month the startup won the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce's Pressure Chamber and the prize of a trip to California to meet with venture capitalists.
5. Danny Supernaw (23) gener8tor: Supernaw is a program manager at gener8tor, a nationally ranked startup accelerator and one of the most influential tech organizations in Wisconsin. Supernaw joined gener8tor last year after graduating from UW-Madison, working his way from gBeta business development associate to senior associate to program manager.
6. Alex Hart-Upendo (11) Build-A-Bow: At just 11 years old, Hart-Upendo is one of the most accomplished pre-teen entrepreneurs around. At 10 years old he founded Build-A-Bow, a custom bow-tie, hair bow and pet bow retailer. He has appeared on Harry Connick, Jr.'s talk show "Harry." He's also the author of “Bullies Bowties And Brilliant Alex,” a picture book designed to encourage the "inner entrepreneur in children," while bringing awareness to bullying and teaching kids to be kind. Hart-Upendo donates 20 percent of his book proceeds to underprivileged schools for author reading parties.
7. Walker Lillard (24) Voys Applications: Lillard is the founder and CEO of Voys Applications, a startup that builds custom apps for voice-enabled digital assistant platforms like Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Siri. Voys has built Talktor, a smart-home medical assistant that allows people to search for healthcare providers in their area and book appointments with just their voice. Voys also works with radio stations like 88Nine Radio Milwaukee to optimize their sound for smart home devices.
8, 9. Sam Lepak (22) and Evan Laird (22) Pintful Peanut Butter: Lepak and Laird are the founders of Pintful, a healthier, protein-packed peanut butter brand. Pintful has 12 grams of protein per serving and uses only natural and organic ingredients to create peanut butter that's better for you than brands like Jif and Peter Pan. This year the startup raised more than $10,000 in a successful Kickstarter campaign.
10. Gabrielle Hood (23) GH Energy Management: Hood has gone from college basketball star, to project manager for a team of electricians working on the Milwaukee Bucks' Fiserv Forum, to the owner of her own energy company---all before the age of 24. After graduating from Alverno College, Hood worked as electrician for her former basketball coach and last year launched GH Energy Management, which helps area apartment buildings and offices become more energy efficient.
11. Rosalind Stengle (20) Badger Blockchain, Ripple: Stengle is president of Badger Blockchain, the University of Wisconsin-Madison's organization focused on blockchain and cryptocurrency. Stengle, a UW computer science undergraduate, coordinates curriculum and events for students and blockchain enthusiasts in Madison. She's also a software engineering intern at Ripple, one of the most valuable cryptocurrency companies in the world.
12. Brema Brema (21) Urban Misfit Ventures: At just 21, Brema has become one of Milwaukee's top Instagram photographers, working with companies such as Google, Movmnt and American Express. Brema has more than 50,000 followers on Instagram and uses his Insta chops to help brands succeed on the popular social media platform. He is among the co-founders of marketing and events startup Urban Misfit Ventures.
13. Dayne Rusch (22) Pyxsee: Rusch, a graduate of University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, is the founder of Pyxsee, an app that allows parents to manage, control and set time limits for their kids daily social media usage. The app lets users set a daily time limit for how long kids spend on social media, and it uses charts to show how much time they're spending on social media. Pyxsee has been featured on Product Hunt and Lifehacker, among other national publication.
14. QuHarrison Terry (23) VNM USA: Terry is the digital marketing architect at VNM USA, an advertising agency that connects brands with Millennials, where he focuses on non-traditional growth marketing and video marketing. He was previously the marketing director at Madison healthcare tech company Redox, and co-foudned 23VIVI, and online marketplace that offers rare and limited edition digital art. Terry has been listed twice on LinkedIn's list of top voices in technology.
15, 16. Eric Schirtzinger (22) and Jacob Holiday (21) Bascom Brothers: Schirtzinger and Holiday are the co-founders of Bascom Brothers, a video production company based in Madison. The startup creates story-driven visual content for brands like RED, a modern sushi restaurant in Madison, and Madison tech startup Roll for Guild.
17. Miona Short (23) Shukrah: A recent graduate of UW-Madison, Short recently became the first black woman to graduate with an undergraduate degree in astrophysics from the university. (And her love for astronomy is further made clear with a selfie she took with celebrity astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.) Short was recently offered a research assistant position at Harvard's Center for Astrophysics, and has launched a startup, Shukrah, a hair and beauty company for multiethnic women.
18. Jordan Mather (24) Health Snaps: Mather is the founder of Health Snaps, a healthcare tech company that allows physical therapists to create and send video messages and other video content to patients to stay on top of their recovery. The company won first place and $15,000 in the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Lubar school’s Scheinfeld Entrepreneurial Awards competition. The startup also participated in the NMotion accelerator in Nebraska and was a Finalist in the Wisconsin Governor's Business Plan contest.
19.Tara Rahmani (21): Rahmani is a senior Industrial Engineering major and User Experience minor at the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Rahmani started the first Society of Women Engineers NEXT section, an SWE club for high school students, and serves as an Outreach Chair of the SWE. Rahmani was honored by the Milwaukee Area Science Advocates in 2018 due to her work inspiring students and promoting STEM. She was named a University Innovation Fellow, a national program run by Stanford University’s Hasso Plattner Institute of Design.
20. Claudia Seidenberg (22) 100State: Seidenberg is the executive director of 100State, a non-profit co-working space in downtown Madison. She took the lead of the space after previous executive director Gregory St. Fort announced plans to move on to other projects. Seidenberg, a University of Wisconsin-Madison grad, joined 100State in 2015 as an executive arts assistant, working her way up to the top job in less than four years.
21. Sam Aten, (23) Deeplight Systems: Aten is the founder and CEO of Deeplight Systems, a startup that develops backend software tools for Internet of Things devices. The company, which recently went through gener8tor's gBETA accelerator program, helps companies identify vulnerabilities in their IoT technology, and provides solutions to help fix the issues.
22. Nabeel Quryshi (18): Quryshi, a recent graduate of the University School of Milwaukee, has garnered national attention for his research on combating the damaging effects of cardiovascular disease and chemotherapy on vascular and cellular function while working at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Last year he won the First Place Grand Award in Biomedical and Health Sciences at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, which earned him $3,000 and the opportunity to have an asteroid or minor planet named after him. He was also one of five Wisconsin recipients of the 2018 Presidential Scholars award and was invited to meet President Trump at the White House. He also authored his own publication in the International Journal of Molecular Science when he was just 17. Quryshi is attending Harvard University this fall.
23. Phil Fonfara (24) gBeta Beloit: Fonfara is the director of gener8tor's gBETA Beloit Program, a free, seven-week accelerator for early-stage companies. He joined the program last summer, and recently bought a historic 8-bedroom house that will be used to house entrepreneurs.
24. Quentin Allums (24) Urban Misfit Ventures: Allums became a social media influencer on perhaps one of the more unlikely platforms---LinkedIn. The 24-year-old Cardinal Stritch University grad was among the first to use LinkedIn's video storytelling feature, posting content on entrepreneurship, personal branding, community building and other topics. He has become one of the top LinkedIn video creators, with his posts amassing more than 1 million views. Allums founded Urban Misfit Ventures to help brands find similar online success. The startup creates visual stories to help brands better reach their target audience, provides consulting on storytelling and branding, and hosts events around the globe.
25. Teresa Dorlack (24) UW-Oshkosh: Dorlack is the accelerator coordinator at UW-Oshkosh, working to help take startups to the next level. She's responsible for all logistics, marketing and event coordination for AeroInnovate, Growth Management Academy and gBETA. Dorlack, a UW-Oshkosh grad, has also been named to Running Start's "National Young Women to Watch" list.
Think we missed someone on this list? Or just want to connect with the Wisconsin Inno team on future editorial projects? Email WisconsinInfo@AmericanInno.com.
