Two Concordia companies are among the 37 Wisconsin startups selected to pitch to potential investors at this year’s Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium which runs today through Wednesday.


Estrigenix, an effort of Concordia’s Batterman School of Business Dean Dr. Daniel Sem and partners from Marquette University and UWM, is one of only 20 companies from across Wisconsin selected to give five-minute recorded pitches throughout the conference. Estrigenix beat our scores of companies from across the Midwest which applied to present at the annual conference.

Estrigenix  Theraputics Inc. is a company devoted to developing drugs that affect estrogen biology. Sem, who is the lead researcher on the project, has secured two consecutive three-year grants from the National Institutes of Health to further the project. Sem, along with Karyn Frick of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and William Donaldson of Marquette University, have developed a “stripped-down” estrogen molecule that has proven effective in improving memory in a model system for treating dementia in post-menopausal women.

A second company that Concordia has equity in, Vivid Microscopy, was selected for the 90-second pitch track. The Hartland-based company has generated two probes that can image and sort cells based on the levels of oxidative stress. The company is led by Jayson Kurfis.

This year’s Early Stage Symposium will take place entirely online. The annual Early Stage Symposium is designed to unlock Wisconsin’s entrepreneurial potential by providing the right combination of ideas, innovation, intellectual property, and investment – as well as hands-on instruction and advice targeted to early stage companies ready to make the leap.

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