Wisconsin
Investment Partners, a Madison-based angel investing group, has been
named by the Halo Report as the most active angel investing
group in the Great Lakes region.
Known as WIP, Wisconsin
Investment Partners was founded in 1999 and is the state's
oldest angel group. WIP has about 75 members and joins in many early-stage
funding rounds locally, according to Kathleen Gallagher of the Journal Sentinel.
Most recently, the group said it had
participated in a $1 million round for Aver
Informatics Inc., a De Pere health information technology start-up.
In 2012, WIP invested about $2.5
million in 16 companies, six of which were new companies and ten of which were
additional investments in existing companies, said Brad Taylor, a co-manager
for the group.
Since its founding in 1999 with 20
members, WIP has invested nearly $17 million in early-stage companies, Taylor
said.
The Great Lakes region includes
Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan. Angels in the region invested
about $135 million in nearly 100 early-stage companies in 2012. The leading
sectors were Internet companies (about 30% of the deals) and healthcare
companies (about 27% of the deals), the Halo Report said.
"Our investment focus is life
science and technology oriented seed investing with growing interest and
knowledge in attractive projects outside this charter," according to the WIP web site. "Most investments are
Wisconsin based. Often, we collaborate with other angel networks and investors
on an early round and occasionally we join later, larger rounds. We also invite
other investment groups to join our meetings on a reciprocal basis."
Co-Managers
of WIP:
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Nick Mischler
Active in angel investing, community service and charitable giving. He is a serial innovator, entrepreneur, retired physician executive and clinician. Nick serves on the Boards of several start-up, life science companies and non-profit, community organizations. He is a mentor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Nick earned a BA from Marquette University, an MD from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MS from the University of Wisconsin. He completed his internal medicine and oncology training at the Universities of Iowa and Wisconsin, respectively, and served in the United States Armed Forces as a Navy flight surgeon. |
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Bob Wood
Active with Wisconsin Investment Partners since inception. Background includes the start-up through sale of Space-Metrics, LLC, a manufacturing firm specializing in commercial and residential cabinetry, store fixtures, and office furniture. Prior experience includes involvement in the start-up of American Players Theatre (Spring Green, Wisconsin). On-going interests in urban re-development including the mixed-use projects 'Capitol Point' and 'Nolen Shore' in central Madison. |
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Brad Taylor
Mr Taylor's career was in international banking, beginning with Citibank in 1970, American Express Bank in Venezuela, Asea Brown Boveri-Combustion Engineering in Connecticut and Babcock & Brown in San Francisco and Hong Kong. Brad, the author of two books, The Family Joke Book and Wisconsin Where They Row, is married with two children. He has been a member of WIP since 2007. |
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Andy Shrago
Andy was most recently Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Prodesse, a start-up biotech company focused on molecular diagnostics for infectious disease. The company was sold to Gen-Probe (San Diego, CA) in October 2009 in a deal that totals $72 million to date. Andy stayed through March 2010 to complete the sales and marketing integration. Prior to Gen-Probe, he ran his own consulting business from 2000-2002, Woodmont Associates, and worked for Datex-Ohmeda (now a GE company 1984-1999) in a variety of positions - financial, marketing and general management. He has an MBA from the University of Chicago and a BA from Cornell University. |
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Mark Duerst
Mark Duerst’s career includes 30 years experience in senior positions in sales / marketing within the medical industry. Mark joined Hologic, Inc. (HOLX:NASDAQ), a leading women’s health company, while a start-up and established distribution for both the U.S. and global markets. Before retiring in 2008, he focused on expanding Hologic’s global leadership by developing emerging markets, strategic partnerships and integration of multiple corporate acquisitions. His work experience also includes founding sales/marketing at GE-LUNAR, working with computer accounting systems, test equipment, medical disposables, radiology equipment, Ob/GYN products, biomarkers, laboratory tests and pharmaceuticals. Mark has served as a corporate advisor, industrial committee representative to several medical societies and as an industry consultant. He is also the Managing Partner for MANDI, LLC, a family owned video production and trading company in Madison. |
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