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BizStarts Venture Track program and its director Chelsea Krause
were chosen as one of the Top 10 people making a difference in Milwaukee in the
July issue of BizTimes Milwaukee. You’ll find a link to this story, and other
news stories about us, at the end of the newsletter.
BizStarts Milwaukee President John Torinus, Jr.: ‘the Stars
are Lining Up’ for statewide Innovation strategy
 The
revelation by the Kauffman Foundation that all net new jobs come from start-up
companies is reshaping economic development thinking at the state and regional
level.
The
M7 Council picked up on that reality and included BizStarts Milwaukee as the
"Grow" portion of its strategic plan for the seven counties in Southeastern
Wisconsin, and now the state is following suit.
At
the first of three Wisconsin Economic Summits in Appleton in the
first week of August, the 175 attendees who represented many of the major
organizations and associations in the state roundly endorsed the creation of a
more entrepreneurial culture across the state.
One
of the major sections of the state economic strategy that will emerge from the
summits will be devoted to a more vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem. The
strategy will call for a highly developed support system for people who want to
start high-growth ventures and for a pool of capital to get them out of the
starting gate.
Called
the Wisconsin Prosperity Fund, it would be modelled after the Third Frontier
Fund in Ohio, where the
citizens have approved more than $2 billion for investments in innovation and
technology advancement since 2004. The emerging Wisconsin strategic
proposal calls for bonding of $1 billion to inject into innovation in the
state.
The
proposal calls for the funds to be deployed regionally, based on competitive
proposals evaluated by an independent board.
Wisconsin currently
ranks near the bottom for early stage funds on a per capital basis, so such a
major development fund would come as a major boost to regions like M7.
The
summits will wrap up their work by early October as a prelude to the fall
elections for governor and the legislature. Some of the candidates have already
included sections of the strategy in their campaign platforms.
"The
stars are lining up behind an innovation strategy for the state," said Torinus, president of BizStarts Milwaukee.
He
said the Kauffman analysis proves the state and region are on the right track
in searching out and supporting entrepreneurs. "Entrepreneurs are the ones
who create jobs," he said.
Meet BizStarts’ Inspirational Entrepreneur:
Gregg Tushaus, CEO & CTO, Tushaus Computer Services
 Milwaukee-based
Tushaus Computer Services is a leading computer services company that provides
Technology Optimization, Information and Risk management services.
Under Gregg’s leadership, TCS has
seen exceptional growth since opening its doors in 1993. The company, with
offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, and Oshkosh, has more
than 140 employees and revenues near $30 million.
Gregg received a Bachelor of
Business Administration degree in management information systems from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee in 1986. He
was recognized in the "Who's Who" list in Milwaukee by The
Business Journal and as one of The Business Journal's “40 Under 40,
”Wisconsin's new generation of business and community leaders.
Gregg is also a past member of the Milwaukee chapter of
YEO (Young Entrepreneur's Organization), and a current member of the MMAC
(Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce. He is proud to be a graduate
of the prestigious Birthing of Giants program, class of 2000, co-sponsored by
Inc. Magazine, YEO and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).
The Story Behind the Startup: SpeechTails, LLC
 According to the Child Development Institute, approximately 20 million children, or 1 out of 10, have speech and language delays. Less severe speech
disorders, such as stuttering, articulation, or difficulties with syntax are
even more common.
However, unless a child has a severe speech disorder, it is unlikely medical insurance will cover treatment costs, and school speech
therapists only treat the most severe cases. Parents then have to pay for
speech therapy out of pocket.
Speech pathologist Amy Reno hopes to
change that with Speechtails.com, a website she and her husband, Todd, launched
in January 2010 to address this underserved population.
“I hear stories everyday from
parents whose child may have minor speech disorders that need therapy, but
because their child’s problem is not severe, they are not eligible for help
from their school, and traditional one-on-one therapy is not covered by
insurance,” said Reno.
The frustration of turning kids away
prompted Reno to develop
an alternative to traditional speech therapy. SpeechTails.com
provides parents the ability to administer a free speech assessment to their
child. The assessment then generates an individualized lesson plan. The
individualized plan utilizes a combination of videos for each sound, daily
living exercises, mouth exercises, and homework which all work together to form
a “learning system,” Reno said.
The website’s resources and blog,
authored by Reno, are
designed to assist parents with children’s speech issues from home. Speechtails
is intended to compliment traditional one-on-one therapy, not replace it.
Reno has taken
full advantage of BizStart’s resources. She has participated in an Ugly Baby
panel, BizStarts’ networking events and is working with BizStarts’ Venture Track
mentor Christopher McConville, President/CEO of Lorence Manufacturing Corp. to
develop a business plan.
“BizStarts helped us make several
key connections and offers much more than just mentoring services. When I run
into a roadblock that I can't seem to find a way around I call Chelsea or my
mentor and they point me in a new direction,” Reno said.
The company is currently testing
it’s website by partnering with a local day care facility and is launching a
pilot program at Sherman Park Lutheran School.
Reno said the
company is also exploring using the technology within the geriatric population
and on patients who have suffered from speech debilitating occurrences, such as
a stroke.
“We keep on growing and exploring
new ways to improve SpeechTails...it has been an exciting time,” Amy said.
The Reno’s, both
aged 43, have two sons, aged 7 and 5. They moved to Milwaukee from Indianapolis in 1993 so
Amy could attend Marquette University. Amy earned
her Master’s Degree in Speech and Hearing from Marquette University. She has 20
years of experience in the speech and language field. Todd works in sales for
an engineering firm.
In the Spotlight
Several
of BizStarts’ member companies have been featured recently in the “Innovations”
column in BizTimes Milwaukee. Perceptral LLC, SpeechTails LLC,
and Lightweight Structures LLC have all been the subject the column, which
focuses on emerging ventures and the ideas that shape them. It is a welcome
addition to the local business media landscape. To read about Lightweight
Structures, visit http://www.biztimes.com/news/2010/7/23/innovations-hartland-company-creates-lightweight-frames-for-buildings
 Ted Lasser, CEO and founder of MedPATH Networks, recently
participated in a panel discussion on health care and information technology
organized by the local Wisconsin Innovation Network chapter. Lasser serves as a
coach and advisor for BizStarts Venture Track program. MedPATH is a medical
software company based in Waukesha; it is one
of the companies BizStarts tracks on its Entrepreneurial Scorecard. MedPATH
sponsored the event, which is held monthly at the Innovation Restaurant at the Crowne Plaza in the Milwaukee County Research Park.
Mark Your Calendars!
 Startup Accelerator 3
will be held
Saturday, September 25 from 10am-4pm at the Waukesha County Technical College (see www.startupaccelerator.org).
BizStart's
Inspirational Entrepreneur event will be held on October 26 at WE
Energies Auditorium at 7:30am. Featured speakers include: Bill Nasgowitz, founder and president of Heartland Funds, and Jim Lindenberg, founder of World Class Wire and Cable and owner of
the Milwaukee Wave.
BizStarts is celebrating its second anniversary on October
6 and will be honoring Legacy entrepreneur Ted Kellner, founder of Fiduciary
Management, Inc. Watch for
more details about this event at www.bizstartsmilwaukee.com
BizStarts Milwaukee in the news. Read all about us in the
following stories:
10 People who are changing Milwaukee
For
up-to-date information on BizStarts Milwaukee, be sure to visit the website: http://www.bizstartsmilwaukee.com
http://twitter.com/MyBizStartsNow
Join the
BizStarts Milwaukee LinkedIn group!
http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1766387
Classes and
events relating to business can be found on the BizStarts calendar at: http://www.bizstartsmilwaukee.com/Calendar.htm
For an interview with Chelsea Krause, read BizStarts’ Catalyst
July’s newsletter
Pass The
Catalyst newsletter on to your friend and associates! They can subscribe to our
free newsletter on BizStarts Milwaukee’s Home Page under BizStarts
Newsletter.
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