Isthmus Project

The Isthmus Project was pleased to participate in the Wisconsin Technology Council’s Innovation Network luncheon, where we joined three other panelists to discuss innovation across our respective industries. During the event, Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Tech Council, asked Elizabeth Hagerman how the Isthmus Project helps researchers and scientists navigate the challenging transition from an idea to commercialization. Elizabeth shared, ''𝘖𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘯, 𝘐 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘴𝘵𝘩𝘮𝘶𝘴 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴. 𝘞𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴—𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵 𝘷𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘵’𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘦𝘵. 𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘻𝘻𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘫𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥.'

Turning medical innovation into impact — The Isthmus Project connects UW and UW Health innovators with the expertise and resources to bring ideas to life. Ready to take the next step? Share details with us at: https://lnkd.in/dmGE2kV

Boosting the call from our friends at Madworks Accelerator by StartingBlock. They’re seeking startup companies to apply for their 12-week accelerator program. Be part of their 2025 cohort. Deadline: Friday, February 7. Apply now!

We are excited to share the call for entries for the 2025 Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest. This five-month journey is designed to support Wisconsin entrepreneurs in the startup stages of tech-based businesses. The contest, presented by the Wisconsin Technology Council, has featured many finalists and winners with connections to the University of Wisconsin-Madison and UW Health, showcasing the incredible entrepreneurial spirit within our community. Learn more and apply today! https://lnkd.in/gtnCmyw

𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝘁𝗵𝗺𝘂𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁: 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 Are you passionate about shaping the future of health care? The Isthmus Project, UW Health’s innovation hub, is where new ideas are fostered and real-world solutions are positioned to improve lives. Help us advance health care innovation at UW Health. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗲 𝗗𝗼: The Isthmus Project supports health care innovators by providing expertise, connections, and resources—sometimes including funding. We help visionaries transform their concepts into impactful discoveries that address critical health care challenges. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗹𝗹 𝗗𝗼: As a Program Manager, you’ll lead outreach strategies that raise awareness of health care innovation at UW Health. Working closely with leadership, you'll help shape initiatives that foster a culture of innovation and collaborate with internal and external partners to build meaningful connections. Whether it’s planning networking events, sparking new collaborations, or exploring opportunities, you’ll play a key role in growing the impact of innovation at UW Health. If you’re ready to make an impact, we’d love to hear from you. https://lnkd.in/gH54DqGe

Each year, our partners at the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) showcase remarkable inventions through their Innovation Awards, highlighting the ingenuity of campus members in tackling today’s challenges. From early detection screenings to advances in treatment plans, these submissions exemplify the drive to create solutions with real-world impact. At the Isthmus Project, we share this spirit of innovation—especially in health care. We invite health care innovators to explore how we can collaborate to bring your solutions to life and transform care together. https://lnkd.in/gY-yHcES

Our team enjoyed an evening celebrating the entrepreneurial journey of Third Wave Technologies, a health care spin-out from UW that paved the way for innovation in Wisconsin’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Hearing from members of the original team—some who continued groundbreaking research at UW and others who have led companies like Exact Sciences and Elephas—highlighted the lasting impact of their work and the lessons they’ve carried forward. The event also reflected on the early risk Venture Investors took in supporting Third Wave Technologies, a decision that not only helped launch the company but also generated returns that fueled investment in other biotech ventures across Wisconsin. Thank you to Venture Investors Health Fund and Exact Sciences for hosting this inspiring celebration of innovation and community.

Innovation thrives in academic medicine, and retiring chair of radiology Dr. Thomas Grist has exemplified this through leadership that elevated UW Health’s impact and fostered lasting collaborations with industry partners like GE HealthCare. As a board member of the Isthmus Project, UW Health’s innovation hub, Dr. Grist’s commitment to advancing innovation aligns with our mission to transform health care. We’re proud to celebrate his recent recognition and the establishment of a professorship in his name to support radiology research. Read more about his legacy and ongoing impact. https://lnkd.in/gNkjsMF7

The Isthmus Project was pleased to be part of the Wisconsin Technology Council’s Early Stage Symposium this week—a fantastic opportunity to connect with the innovation ecosystem. It was inspiring to hear Erik Iverson, CEO of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) and a valued partner of the Isthmus Project, share how WARF is driving innovation across Wisconsin. We also had the chance to hear from visionary startups and engage with investors who are just as passionate about advancing the future of health and biotech.