Five emerging Madison start-ups met with prominent venture capital firms in Silicon Valley this week in an exclusive delegation led by The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce.
“Our economic momentum is real, and it is important that we continue to tell the Greater Madison’s story as a world-class place to build and invest,” said Chamber President Zach Brandon in a release. “We are thrilled to be able to do that by showcasing an exciting group of companies and helping them make important connections in Silicon Valley.”
POLCO, a startup that “improves civic engagement by connecting the members of the community with their local representatives on active policy proposals,” was this year’s Pressure Chamber winner, a competition in which a number of companies pitch their ideas in front of out-of-state investors, business executives and a live audience. POLCO has racked up multiple awards this year, including the “People’s Choice” award at the Wisconsin Innovation Awards.
The other four Madison startups joining POLCO on the trip are AkitaBox, a management startup; GrocerKey, a startup focused on brand leveraging for grocery stores; Markable, a fashion technology company; and Moxe, a technology-driven health company.
The trip to Silicon Valley for these startups is the final event of the Pressure Chamber pitch competition, which took place during the Forward Festival in August. The trip started with a tour of YouTube, led by the founder of a Madison company, Vidmaker. The tour was followed up by an invite-only dinner where the starters were given the opportunity to meet with potential investors and business partners.
On the second day of the trip, the startups will be able to pitch to local investment firms, followed by a reception sponsored by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.
