Four Milwaukee-area firms have been named finalists in the 2024 Wisconsin Innovation Awards, honoring the state's most innovative and forward-thinking companies and individuals.
Advanced Ionics of New Berlin, Microbial Discovery Group of Oak Creek, Septillionth Inc. of Whitefish Bay and TRT Speech Labs: Hello Audrey of Racine are among the 31 finalists for the awards, which recognize innovation and spotlight companies making significant contributions to their fields.
Advanced Ionics is developing technology to make climate-friendly industrial production more affordable. Its electrolyzers produce hydrogen — a key component of materials such as metal, glass and plastic — in a way it says is more sustainable and costs less than the current fossil fuel-derived hydrogen. A year ago, it completed a $12.5 million Series A investment for its green hydrogen electrolyzer technology.
Microbial Discovery develops products in the microbial solutions market. In April, it said it will invest $30 million in a 117,000-square-foot facility in Franklin while hiring nearly 50 full-time employees to support its expansion.
Septillionth Inc., founded in 2020, is creating an innovative hand-held digital lead detector and sensor.
Hello Audrey by TRT Speech Labs is a secured, virtual environment that allows speech language pathologists and speech therapists to remotely monitor patients prior to and in between episodes of treatment, according to the company's website.
The winners of the 2024 Wisconsin Innovation Awards will be announced at an awards ceremony scheduled to take place Oct. 8 at the Memorial Union in Madison. The event will feature keynote speakers, networking opportunities and a celebration of the finalists' contributions to innovation in Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin Innovation Awards program was started in 2014 by Matt Younkle, co-founder of Milwaukee software startup Pythonic AI, and Joe Boucher of the Madison law firm Neider & Boucher SC. It's led by a steering committee of business, community and entrepreneurial leaders.
Here's the full list of 2024 Wisconsin Innovation Awards finalists:
- Advanced Ionics: Green Hydrogen Electrolyzer, New Berlin
- AyrFlo Innovation Labs Inc.: smartAYRpatch, Madison
- Blue Line Battery Inc., Beloit
- CranioSure, Madison
- DataChat, Madison
- Economic Justice Institute LIFT Wisconsin: Legal Tune Up, Madison
- Field Prophet Inc., Oregon
- Filament Games: Mooving Cows, Madison
- Fox Cities Chamber, Appleton
- GMS (Graceful Management Systems), Madison
- Happy Scratch, Verona
- Hovertoon, Berlin
- ImgGyd LLC, Middleton
- InMEDBio LLC: PhoenixAID, Oshkosh
- Insect Eavesdropper, Madison
- Intuitive Biosciences Inc.: Intuitive DX, Madison
- InvivoSciences: Kokordia, Madison
- IVO Systems Inc., Madison
- Madison Public Schools Foundation: Teacher Support Network, Madison
- Madison Development Corp.'s Dane Workforce Housing Fund, Madison
- Microbial Discovery Group, Oak Creek
- Safepro Technologies: Soteria System, Dousman
- Self Fund Health, Verona
- Septillionth Inc., Whitefish Bay
- SideShift, Madison
- SixLine Semiconductor, Middleton
- Skyward: Qmlativ, Stevens Point
- Sub22 Technologies, Madison
- The Paget Group Inc.: Pound of Ground, Madison
- TRT Speech Labs: Hello Audrey, Racine
- Woollets LLC, Argyle
