‘Diligent (Baker’s) Dozen’ to present live June 4 at Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference in Madison

14 May ‘Diligent (Baker’s) Dozen’ to present live June 4 at Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference in Madison

Finalists representing a mix of tech-based sectors in Wisconsin’s early-stage economy will present live to judges and others Wednesday, June 4, in Madison as part of the annual Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest. The presentations at the Monona Terrace Community and Conference Center will be followed immediately by the opening reception for the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference.

Thirteen contestants emerged from three rounds of judging in the contest organized through the Wisconsin Technology Council, which produces the contest and conference with its partners and sponsors. The competition began in late January with 156 entries; more than 4,800 entries have been received since the contest began in 2004.

This year’s finalists will deliver seven-minute pitches on their business ideas beginning 3 p.m. Wednesday, June 4. Winners will be announced June 5 during the conference. To register for the conference at the Monona Terrace Community and Conference Center visit: WiTrepsConference.com.

Entries were submitted in four categories: Advanced Manufacturing, Business Services, Information Technology and Life Sciences.

Advanced manufacturing plans include a company that transforms dairy food waste into tagatose, a low-calorie sugar alternative recognized as safe by the FDA; a company that specializes in cutting-edge separators that enhance performance in rechargeable metal ion batteries; and a company that offers a real-time electrochemical soil sensor to monitor nitrate levels throughout the growing season.

Plans tied to business services include a water filtration that develops advanced carbon-based filters to remove harmful PFAS contaminants from drinking water; adaptive clothing assistance that provides clothing modifications to support individuals with mobility or dexterity challenges in dressing independently; and a mobile device that delivers accessible, on-site diagnostics for swallowing disorders in underserved healthcare settings.

Information technology plans include lead service line detection that uses machine learning to identify water service line materials for EPA compliance with the Lead and Copper Rule; automated sales tax filing that simplifies U.S. sales tax compliance for Shopify merchants through seamless automation; an AI driven code automation introduces bots that autonomously write and commit code to repositories, bypassing manual engineer intervention.

Life sciences plans include cell therapy support services to provide specialized services to companies developing advanced cell therapies; a low-cost, patented medical coating for titanium implants to improve outcomes; a novel treatment targeting H. pylori, a common cause of ulcers and gastric cancer; and a patented nano-composite dressing for chronic wounds like diabetic foot ulcers, addressing healing challenges in underserved areas. There was a tie in this category.

Finalists submitted a 15-minute video pitch deck for review by a panel of about 70 judges and their scores on those video pitches will be a part of the final scoring. Each plan describes the core product or service, defines the customer base, estimates the size of the market, identifies competition, describes the management team, and provides key financial data.

Sponsors are contributing cash, office space, legal assistance, accounting, information technology consulting, marketing and more. About $2.9 million in cash and in-kind prizes have been awarded since the inception of the contest in 2004. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. is the major sponsor.

In addition to WEDC, lead sponsors of the 2025 contest thus far include Michael Best; Novii CPA; Phil Ouellette, EOS Implementer; Pieper Properties; Quarles & Brady; SCORE Wisconsin; Spencer X Smith; University Research Park; Ward4.  Associate sponsors include Applied Management; Cap Times; Starting Block Madison; Wisconsin Technology Council; Additional sponsors are ATC;  FocalPoint Consulting; Forward BIOLABS; Madison Gas & Electric; Makin’ Hey!; MKE Startup News;  Murphy Desmond; Neider & Boucher; Palladium CPA; SustainableHR PEO; UW-Madison Office of University Relations; UW-Milwaukee and Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation.

The 2025 “Diligent (Baker’s) Dozen” are listed below. Reporters wishing to contact individual contestants may do so through the Wisconsin Technology Council by calling 608-442-7557.

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