Covid-19 test maker Novir, short-term rental linen service washbnb, and automated drive-thru Octane Coffee were among the 29 companies and nonprofits selected as finalists for the annual Wisconsin Innovation Awards.
The finalists were selected from more than 330 nominations, according to a Tuesday announcement. Winners will be announced in October.
Milwaukee's Novir was launched in April 2020 by former GE Healthcare executive Alexander Kempe. Wasbnb was founded in February 2020 by Daniel Cruz and recently became the first Milwaukee startup selected for Techstars Atlanta, a prestigious accelerator program that comes with a $120,000 investment.
Octane Coffee was founded in 2018 and is planning to open its first location in Pewaukee this fall. The fully automated drive-thru coffee company, led by Adrian Deasy, closed a $400,000 seed round in February.
The Wisconsin Innovation Awards was started in 2014 by the Neider & Boucher SC law firm in Madison with sponsorship from American Family Insurance, Robert W. Baird & Co., Exact Sciences Corp., First Business Bank, Neider & Boucher SC and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.
The other Milwaukee-area finalists include:
- Drexel Building Supply, which has locations around the state, including in Brookfield;
- Field to Freezer LLC, a meat processing app based out of Hartland;
- Rapid Radicals Technology LLC, a wastewater treatment technology company in Milwaukee;
- RoddyMedical Inc., a Wauwatosa-based medical device company;
- SafePro Technologies, a company near Dousman developing an emergency evacuation system;
- Steady Shot LLC, a Milwaukee company that created an insulin injection tool;
- Vivid Microscopy LLC, a biotechnology company in Hartland.
The Madison-area finalists are:
- AyrFlo Inc., a Madison-based group of researchers developing a novel respiratory monitor;
- Badger Shield, a team from the University of Wisconsin-Madison that created open-source designs for personal protective equipment;
- Black Oxygen, a podcast about Black culture produced in partnership with Madison365;
- Blexx Technology, a Madison company creating hypodermic needle sterilization and disposal solutions;
- Curate, a Madison-based civic intelligence software company;
- Curbside Bicycles LLC, a mobile bike repair service;
- DataChat, a data analytics platform that doesn't require users to understand coding;
- EnsoData, which makes artificial intelligence-driven software for health care providers;
- Our MAP LLC, a nonprofit that empowers survivors of interpersonal violence and abuse;
- StableBody Technologies LLC, a Middleton-based biotechnology company that does protein engineering;
- Understory, an insurance solutions company focused on climate change-related risks;
- Voximetry Inc., a health care technology company in Middleton related to nuclear medicine dosimetry.
The other finalists from around the state are:
- Fox World Travel, an Oshkosh-based travel company;
- Impact Sports LLC, a River Falls-based company developing soft-shell helmets to protect against head injuries;
- Mercury Marine, a Fond du Lac-based boat engine maker;
- Nelson and Pade Inc., an aquaponic systems maker in Montello;
- Ruby Coffee Roasters, a Nelsonville-based roaster that sells coffee wholesale, online and in a cafe;
- SMARTcare Software Inc., a home health care enterprise platform based in Eau Claire;
- Wisconsin Telelift Inc., a Three Lakes-based company that provides internet connectivity via drones.
