The Midwest Energy Research Consortium has announced the participants in its third WERCBench Labs program for early-stage startups.
The selected companies are:
Milwaukee-based KW Technologies: Using silicon carbine technology to develop industrial power supplies.
Madison-based EW Panel: Nanogenerators that convert movements to electricity to charge low-power electronics.
Madison-basd NovoMoto: Clean electricity for off-grid rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa.
East Lansing, Michigan-based Switched Source: Power electronics solutions for electric distribution companies.
South Bend, Indiana-based Indiana Integrated Circuits: Microelectronics technology to improve performance, cost and form-factor in electronic systems.
Palos Heights, Illinois-based Global Green Products: Eco-friendly polymer products used to conserve water, extend equipment life, reduce energy loss and improve productivity.
Chicago-based Aris Technologies: Artificial intelligence platform for reducing human quality control errors in manufacturing.
The 12-week WERCBench program will begin at M-WERC’s Energy Innovation Center on Aug. 29, and conclude with Demo Day presentations on Dec. 14. Participants receive a $10,000 grant at the start of the accelerator through the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., and if they meet expectations and graduate, a $10,000 investment, with investors receiving royalties.
This year, WERCBench participants will be joined for four weeks by a group of Korean entrepreneurs, with the hope that some of the companies will be able to collaborate. There will also be more funding available for WERCBench, as MWERC significantly increased its operating budget for its current fiscal year.
“WERCBench Labs surrounds entrepreneurs with the resources and connections they need to test their ideas and grow their businesses,” said Aaron Hagar, vice president of entrepreneurship and innovation at WEDC. “It’s a valuable initiative in bringing innovative technologies to the global marketplace.”
The Center for Technology Commercialization, The Commons and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee will also be involved with the WERCBench Labs program.
“Our third group of startup companies and cutting-edge technologies is a great complement to dozens of startups that have gone through our program since we launched WERCBench Labs,” said Jacquin Davidson, managing director WERCBench Labs.
M-WERC’s members are from both industry and academia. The nonprofit focuses on the growth and economic competitiveness of the region’s energy, power and controls sectors. Corporate members include A.O. Smith Corp., Briggs & Stratton Corp., Rockwell Automation Inc. and Johnson Controls International plc.
