Direct Investments

Frontdesk is a tech-enabled, vacation rental management company. Frontdesk leases apartment units in urban areas from some of the largest property management companies in the country, and then re-rents to their own guests, while providing turnkey management of the property, including: Dynamic pricing, customer service, screening, furnishing, cleaning, maintenance, and more. The company's mission is to provide an incredible & unique experience for travelers by anticipating the guests' needs.

CO-FOUNDERS: KYLE WEATHERLY & JESSE DEPINTO / MILWAUKEE, WI

AutoAp, Inc. helps auto retailers make better business decisions at vehicle acquisition; reduce safety recall liability with daily inventory monitoring; and profit from net-new service revenue discovered in their sold-customer vehicles.

AutoAp clients Carr Auto Group, (named in Automotive News for safety recall management best practices) and Galpin Motors, (the world leader in volume Ford sales), use AutoAp’s safety recall management services for recall compliance and liability reduction.

CEO: MARK PAUL / BEAVERTON, OR

Routeique offers a complete logistics platform for supply chains, including end-to-end order management, inventory and warehouse management, mobile invoicing and settlement, route optimization and planning, signature capture and proof of delivery. The company works across all areas of the supply chain space from manufacturers to distributors to retailers.

FOUNDERS: MIKE ALLAN & SCOTT BIRKBY / CALGARY, ALBERTA CA

SHINE Medical Technologies™ is dedicated to being the world leader in safe, clean, affordable production of medical tracers and cancer treatment elements. Founded in 2010 to manufacture and sell medical isotopes into an existing global market that serves over 40,000 patients per day in the United States, SHINE anticipates producing enough molybdenum-99 to meet two-thirds of US demand by 2018. With 30 employees and offices in Monona, SHINE has received financial support from many local angel and venture investors, the Morgridge Institute for Research and the US Department of Energy.

FOUNDER: GREG PIEFER, PRESIDENT: TODD ASMUTH  / JANESVILLE, WI

Lanehub’s collaborative transportation network brings companies together to ship their products more efficiently. The match engine automatically identifies and connects companies with complementary freight lanes to save on shipping expenses. Participating companies gain increased advantages as they invite more participants to join the network, creating a powerful network effect.

FOUNDER & CEO: MARK HACKL / GREEN BAY, WI

FactoryFix connects manufacturing companies to vetted skilled workers such as engineers, machinists, and maintenance techs for flexible labor needs. Manufacturers rely on FactoryFix to manage employment during peak demand, sharing specialized labor via fractional contracting, and trying out potential employees before making a full-time job offer. Skilled professionals rely on FactoryFix to find projects, side-jobs, or their next great career opportunity.

FOUNDER: PATRICK O'RAHILLY / CHICAGO, IL