Founder and CEO
SHINE Technologies | Janesville
Greg Piefer is founder and chief executive officer of Janesville-based SHINE Technologies, a nuclear fusion technology and radioisotope production company. SHINE closed a $70 million funding round in 2023 that will allow it to complete the process of scaling up and commercializing near-term applications for its fusion technology, which is used in the industrial, defense and health care markets. Piefer, who holds a Ph.D. in nuclear engineering from UW-Madison, founded the company in 2005. Previously, he was president of Monona-based Phoenix Nuclear Labs LLC and chief technology officer for Madison-based Gillware Data Recovery.
Education: Bachelor’s and doctorate, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Highlights of the past 12 months: “Earlier this year, we became the largest producer of non-carrier added lutetium-177 in North America. We’re now shipping our best-in-class product, Ilumira, to customers all over the world, every week. This is an essential product for cancer patients, and our customers are thrilled with our product quality. What’s more is that the trajectory of our medical isotopes business, combined with our non-destructive testing business, provides a strong growth engine to fuel our long-term ambitions.”
What would you like to change about Wisconsin: “A deeper pool of early-stage and venture-stage investment capital would really help us grow our economic base.”
Definition of success: “In business, creating more value than you’ve invested. This includes time, rate of return and opportunity cost considerations.”
Cocktail of choice: “A Manhattan, but with brandy as the base vs. the traditional bourbon.”
