Nine Wisconsin tech startups, including an Inno Startup to Watch in 2020 selection, were recently awarded government funding for the continued development of their technology.
The nine grants totaled $825,000 and were awarded through the Small Business Innovation Research-Advance grant program operated by the University of Wisconsin System’s Center of Technology Commercialization in Madison and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.
The grants were divided into three phase one grants of $75,000 apiece and six phase two grants of $100,000 each.
Shorewood-based SafeLi, one of the $100,000 grant recipients and a Startup To Watch in 2020, has developed patented material that boosts energy storage capacity in lithium-ion batteries. The material can be used for faster charging times and safer batteries used in electric and hybrid vehicles, power tools and consumer electronics.
Other grant recipients include Milwaukee-based Rapid Radicals Technology, which has developed an end-of-pipe treatment technology that moves wastewater through a chemically enhanced conveyance system and safely back into lakes and rivers. RRT received a phase one, $75,000 grant.
The remaining startups to receive grants were:
Immuto Scientific (Madison, $75,000): A contract research organization (providing analytical services for drug development.
Plumb Pharma (Madison, $75,000): Developed a platform technology for super-extended- release medications that extends release up to five times longer than current medications.
Holos (Madison, $100,000): Developing an augmented reality/virtual reality platform using a natural hand-, eye- and voice-based input system that enables anyone to create immersive virtual environments and interact with complex information.
Microscopy Innovations (Marshfield, $100,000): Creating novel products for microscopy laboratories.
Rapid Imaging (Middleton, $100,000): Company makes products leveraging augmented reality and artificial intelligence to government and enterprise customers that address image and video processing challenges faced by operators and viewers.
CompRex (De Pere, $100,000): Developing an advanced heat exchanger for use in aerospace applications while reducing the size and cost of the exchanger.
Nutrient Recovery & Upcycling (Madison, $100,000): Makes a sustainable alternative to traditional mined fertilizers by recovering post-consumer phosphorus from wastewater.
