Silicon Pastures

Silicon Pastures LLC is an angel investment network based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, founded in 2000. The firm focuses on investing in technology-driven companies that address specific challenges, primarily in the Midwest region of the United States. Silicon Pastures comprises a group of angel investors who convene monthly to evaluate business proposals and conduct due diligence on potential investments. The firm typically looks for companies with a minimum of $200,000 in revenue, although it is willing to consider earlier-stage opportunities. Additionally, Silicon Pastures aims to assist its portfolio companies in expanding their operations globally and maintains an office in South Korea to facilitate this growth.

Teresa Esser

Managing Director

35 past transactions

Frontdesk

Series A in 2020
Founded in 2017, Frontdesk operates a digital platform for short-term rentals across the United States. It offers fully managed properties for business and vacation travelers, handling booking, cleaning, pricing, messaging, and guest screening through its proprietary technology stack.

Blue Line Battery

Angel Round in 2020
Founded in 2015, Blue Line Battery designs and manufactures lithium-ion power systems for diverse applications. Its products include portable power packs and universal batteries, serving industrial, stationary, small electric vehicle, and solar sectors.

Blue Line Battery

Seed Round in 2020
Founded in 2015, Blue Line Battery designs and manufactures lithium-ion power systems for diverse applications. Its products include portable power packs and universal batteries, serving industrial, stationary, small electric vehicle, and solar sectors.

Digsite

Convertible Note in 2020
Digsite, Inc. is a Madison, Wisconsin-based company that offers a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform designed for online insight communities, enhancing traditional online focus group methodologies. Founded in 2014, Digsite's platform allows moderators to initiate discussions, upload multimedia content, and utilize various tools for surveys and feedback, enabling participants to contribute their insights effectively. The platform is tailored for marketers and researchers, facilitating rapid engagement with consumers to refine product concepts, marketing strategies, and customer experiences. By leveraging a familiar social media-style interface, Digsite enables the quick recruitment of participants and the establishment of research communities, significantly streamlining the qualitative research process. Additionally, its SmartReporting feature transforms qualitative findings into actionable insights, empowering businesses to make informed decisions swiftly.

Sprecher Brewing

Angel Round in 2020
Sprecher Brewing Company, Inc., founded in 1985, is the oldest craft brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The company is renowned for its high-quality beer and unique specialty sodas, which are produced using a combination of traditional brewing techniques and innovative recipes. Over the years, Sprecher has built a strong reputation in the craft beverage industry, focusing on delivering distinctive flavors and experiences to its customers. By emphasizing local ingredients and craftsmanship, Sprecher Brewing plays a significant role in the Milwaukee community and continues to contribute to the growing craft beverage movement.

Fiveable

Seed Round in 2020
Fiveable, Inc. is an educational technology company based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, founded in 2018. It operates an interactive social learning platform designed for Advanced Placement (AP) students and teachers, aiming to foster educational equity. The platform combines content, community, and courses to enhance the learning experience. It features a comprehensive content library and interactive community spaces, allowing students to engage with peers studying similar subjects. Fiveable offers online instruction led by accredited teachers across various disciplines, including history, social sciences, STEM, and languages. The company's mission is to empower students by building their skills and confidence, enabling them to earn college credit through placement exams and succeed in their educational endeavors.

Passage

Venture Round in 2020
Passage is a platform that powers customized ticketing, payments and event technology for small-to-mid-sized events, delivered online and at the door. It serves niche event verticals with category-specific branding and features, enabling organizers to monetize through in-person and virtual access, season passes, merchandise, concessions, subscriptions, digital collectibles and other revenue streams. The platform emphasizes secure online payments and seamless ticketing across channels, helping organizers grow revenue and build a distinctive brand within their category. Passage has demonstrated resilience during the pandemic and projects continued growth, projecting $3.1 million in revenue on $46 million in ticket sales in 2024, with year-over-year EBITDA growth of about $1 million.

Intuitive Bio

Venture Round in 2019
Intuitive Bio, established in 2012 and headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, specializes in biotechnology products and services. The company develops and manufactures custom assay development tools, including detection reagents, multiplexing systems, and image analysis software for protein microarrays. Additionally, Intuitive Bio offers veterinary diagnostic kits and testing services for non-human primates, focusing on tuberculosis and specific-pathogen-free testing. Their portfolio aims to enhance accuracy, efficiency, and animal welfare in research and colony management.

Sonex Health

Funding Round in 2019
Sonex Health is a medical device company focused on reducing invasiveness and costs in orthopedic care through micro-invasive surgical tools. Based in Rochester, Minnesota, it developed the SX-One MicroKnife with Meerkat Technology to treat carpal tunnel syndrome via Micro-invasive Carpal Tunnel Release (USCTR). The device enables a micro-incision guided by ultrasound or a small mini-open incision without ultrasound, up to five times smaller than traditional carpal tunnel release, allowing procedures in a surgery center or office setting with rapid recovery and minimal immobilization. The company aims to improve safety while lowering procedural costs and delivering effective relief of carpal tunnel symptoms.

Verena Solutions

Angel Round in 2019
Verena Solutions specializes in providing innovative healthcare and dentistry services designed to enhance medical procedures and improve operational efficiency. The company develops dental care products, including a specialized dental needle, aimed at simplifying procedures and increasing patient safety. By leveraging an automated ordering platform and a robust distribution system, Verena Solutions seeks to create a productive and secure environment for dental care providers. Its focus on automating and enhancing medical processes allows dental professionals to deliver higher quality care while maintaining safety standards for patients.

Phoenix

Venture Round in 2017
Phoenix, LLC, established in 2005 and headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, specializes in designing and manufacturing high-yield neutron generators and other commercial nuclear technologies. These products cater to diverse applications across industries such as aerospace, defense, medical, and semiconductor, including neutron radiography, cargo screening, medical isotope production, and nuclear fuel scanning. The company's commitment to practical nuclear technologies has also set a long-term goal of contributing to clean, fusion energy production.

Bright Cellars

Funding Round in 2017
Bright Cellars Inc. is an online wine club that specializes in delivering personalized wine selections to its members through a monthly subscription model. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the company utilizes a machine-learning algorithm that analyzes user responses from a questionnaire to recommend wines tailored to individual tastes. This approach not only helps new wine drinkers explore and refine their preferences but also creates an educational experience around wine appreciation. Bright Cellars allows users to receive curated wine deliveries at their doorstep each month and offers options for gifting selections to others. The company aims to inspire a new generation of wine enthusiasts by providing a transformative and personalized experience.

Microscopy Innovations

Venture Round in 2016
Microscopy Innovations is a life science tools company focused on microscopy sample preparation and instrumentation. It develops the mPrep platform and related capsules for grid staining, immunolabeling, and specimen processing, along with the ASP-1000 Automated Specimen Processor that automates preparation, staining, and labeling for electron microscopy. Its products support scanning and transmission electron microscopy and materials research, and are distributed through a global network to pharmaceutical, clinical, academic, and industrial research customers. Founded in 2007 and based in Marshfield, Wisconsin, the company aims to streamline laboratory workflows, reduce manual labor, and extend its microscopy capabilities, with future development extending to light microscopy.

Indiana Integrated Circuits

Venture Round in 2016
Indiana Integrated Circuits LLC, founded in 2009 and based in South Bend, Indiana, specializes in the development, licensing, and commercialization of advanced microchip interconnect and packaging technology. The company offers innovative solutions that enable monolithic-like device performance through their patented Quilt Packaging technology, which features ultra-low-loss interconnections, sub-micron chip-to-chip alignment, and minimal chip-to-chip gaps. This technology allows for true heterogeneous integration, facilitating a new class of system designs and significantly reducing costs by enabling the partitioning of larger, lower-yielding chips into smaller, higher-yielding counterparts without compromising performance. Indiana Integrated Circuits also provides custom fabrication and research and development services, including advanced techniques such as e-beam lithography, nanofabrication, thin film deposition, and various etching methods. The company's offerings improve time-to-market, power consumption, form-factor, and yield, while enhancing design flexibility for clients.

Nitride Solutions

Venture Round in 2015
Nitride Solutions Inc. is a manufacturer specializing in aluminum nitride products tailored for the electronics market. The company develops and produces aluminum nitride templates, bulk substrates, and coatings that serve various applications, including deep-UV LEDs, high-power switches, motor controls, and UV laser diodes. Their products enhance electronic device structures by maintaining thermal conductivity and voltage resistance, addressing critical challenges in power generation, transmission, and high-speed communications. Founded in 2007 and based in Wichita, Kansas, Nitride Solutions focuses on providing solutions that meet the evolving demands of the electronics industry.

Intelligent InSites

Venture Round in 2014
Intelligent InSites, Inc. is a company that specializes in developing automation software solutions tailored for the healthcare industry. Founded in 2003 and based in West Fargo, North Dakota, the company provides a real-time location system (RTLS) that enhances visibility into the movement and management of medical equipment, staff, and patients. By utilizing unique identification codes and sensors, its software enables healthcare organizations to minimize wasted time and optimize asset utilization. The company offers a range of solutions, including acute care, asset optimization, and urgent care applications, serving hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities both domestically and internationally. In addition to its software offerings, Intelligent InSites supports its clients with implementation, training, technical support, and product maintenance, helping them transform automatically-collected data into actionable insights for improved cost efficiency and quality of care.

Eso Technologies

Angel Round in 2013
Eso Technologies is a medical device company specializing in the development of an innovative esophageal cardiac monitoring system designed to enhance cardiac care for surgical and ICU patients. The system is characterized by its minimally invasive, safe, and accurate approach, offering a compelling alternative to traditional invasive devices currently in use. Clinical studies have shown that this technology not only improves patient safety but also reduces the risk of heart attacks during surgical procedures. With an experienced management team at the helm, Eso Technologies aims to significantly advance the standards of cardiac monitoring and care.

Genii

Venture Round in 2013
Genii, Inc. is a manufacturer of electrosurgical products and accessories, specializing in devices used in flexible endoscopy. Founded in 2007 and based in St. Paul, Minnesota, the company offers a range of products including electrosurgery generators, argon coagulation units, and various endoscopic accessories. Its product lineup features the gi4000 Electrosurgery Unit, the TouchSoft Coagulator for tissue ablation, ArC Smart argon probes, and the ArConnect system for argon coagulation procedures. Genii focuses on providing solutions that enhance value, efficiency, and safety in medical procedures, particularly in the treatment of gastrointestinal lesions. As of 2017, Genii operates as a subsidiary of Steris Plc.

Wantable

Seed Round in 2013
Wantable operates as a subscription-based retailer that delivers monthly packages of makeup, accessories, and other items tailored for women. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Wantable also offers a personal shopping service for women’s clothing. The company uses a proprietary data-centric system and artificial intelligence to curate products, allowing customers to try items at home before purchasing. This unique approach combines elements of retail, personal styling, and machine learning, appealing to a broad and diverse market.

Blue Moon Learning Center

Debt Financing in 2013
Blue Moon Learning Center is a private educational center for American children. It offers classes in subjects such as language, crafts, and values formation. Blue Moon Learning Center began operation in February 2012. Its headquarters was in Wisconsin before it moved to Alameda in California.

Flex Biomedical

Venture Round in 2012
Flex Biomedical, Inc. is a biomedical company based in Madison, Wisconsin, founded in 2007. The company focuses on developing innovative treatments and diagnostics for orthopedic injuries and diseases, with a particular emphasis on osteoarthritis, a debilitating joint condition that affects millions globally. Its flagship product, the Flex Polymer, is a synthetic and injectable polymer designed to alleviate the symptoms of osteoarthritis. By offering solutions that aim to enhance patient mobility and reduce pain, Flex Biomedical addresses a significant health challenge faced by many individuals. The company markets its products through online retailers, making its offerings accessible to a wider audience.

Enhancement Medical

Debt Financing in 2012
Enhancement Medical is a Wisconsin-based company that specializes in pharmaceutical and healthcare services. Headquartered in Wauwatosa, it focuses on developing innovative hyaluronic acid products aimed at redefining safety standards in the medical market. The company has introduced Expression, a hyaluronic acid derived from pathogen-free materials, ensuring that its offerings meet high safety and quality standards. Through its expertise in the development and commercialization of medical products, Enhancement Medical serves the healthcare needs of residents in Wisconsin and its surrounding areas.

Lucigen

Venture Round in 2012
Lucigen Corporation specializes in providing products and services for DNA and RNA cloning, sequencing, amplification, and protein expression. Founded in 1998 and based in Middleton, Wisconsin, the company offers a comprehensive range of solutions including long mate pair library kits, DNA sample preparation kits, and various cloning and expression kits. Its portfolio encompasses PCR and amplification solutions, competent cells for cloning and phage display, and a variety of enzymes. Additionally, Lucigen provides cloning kits and vectors tailored for different applications, as well as accessory kits for DNA manipulation. The company also offers genome closure services and advanced genomic technologies to support life science researchers in their work. Lucigen Corporation was formerly known as Microgen Corporation and became a subsidiary of LGC Limited in 2018.

SOLOMO Technology

Seed Round in 2012
SOLOMO Technology Inc. is a mobile software company based in Madison, Wisconsin, that specializes in indoor location intelligence and personalized marketing solutions for retailers. Founded in 2010, the company offers a cloud-based platform known as SOLOMO Exchange, which connects to retailers' mobile applications to facilitate the secure exchange of customer identity and location data for personalized offers. This platform includes various tools such as SOLOMO Geo, which provides location-based notifications for employees and customers, and SOLOMO Identity, allowing customers to manage their personal data. Additionally, SOLOMO offers branded mobile applications that enable retailers to enhance customer engagement through targeted notifications and improved service from sales associates. By leveraging location intelligence analytics, SOLOMO Technology aims to create seamless, customized experiences that strengthen customer trust both in-store and online.

Stepping Stone Dental Partners

Seed Round in 2012
Stepping Stone Dental Partners is a practice development company focused on enhancing private dental practices. The firm specializes in acquiring, supporting, and transitioning dental practices from retiring dentists to emerging practice owners. By addressing the conflicts of interest that often arise in the buying and selling process, Stepping Stone Dental Partners ensures a transition that aligns the interests of all parties involved, with a commitment to maintaining high standards of patient care and the overall success of the practice. The company facilitates a seamless retirement for selling dentists while providing younger professionals with a clear pathway to ownership.

HarQen

Series B in 2011
HarQen, Inc. is a technology company based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, founded in 2007, that specializes in Software as a Service solutions aimed at enhancing recruitment processes. The company offers a comprehensive digital interview platform that facilitates various interviewing methods, including on-demand video, phone interviews, and live video interviews. It also provides tools for automated pre-screening, SMS candidate engagement, mock interviews, and language verification, all while supporting mobile applications for interviewing. HarQen’s platform, known as Recruitment Acceleration Management Process, harnesses voice-to-web technology to capture and analyze conversations, thereby transforming voice interactions into actionable insights. Its services cater to diverse sectors, including staffing and placement, healthcare, banking, higher education, and retail, among others. Additionally, HarQen is a founding member of the Hypervoice Consortium, promoting innovative ways to organize and navigate voice conversations for improved collaboration and productivity.

Enlace Health

Angel Round in 2011
Enlace Health provides an end-to-end solution aimed at addressing infrastructure challenges within the healthcare system. The company connects payers, providers, and patients, supporting various healthcare delivery models. This includes facilitating retrospective programs and enabling risk for prospective programs. Enlace Health's platform simplifies the healthcare reimbursement process by analyzing available datasets to create bundled payments and related reports. This helps healthcare providers manage delivery costs and offer value-based care.

NeoClone

Angel Round in 2011
NeoClone is a research-oriented company established in 1999 by three scientists from the University of Wisconsin, focusing on the development of monoclonal antibodies for biotechnology and research applications. The company employs retroviral transformation technology to enhance the production process of monoclonal antibodies, which allows for quicker development times and reduced costs. This innovative approach enables NeoClone to deliver customized antibodies to researchers and scientists more efficiently, addressing the growing demand for advanced antibody solutions in various scientific fields.

HarQen

Series A in 2010
HarQen, Inc. is a technology company based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, founded in 2007, that specializes in Software as a Service solutions aimed at enhancing recruitment processes. The company offers a comprehensive digital interview platform that facilitates various interviewing methods, including on-demand video, phone interviews, and live video interviews. It also provides tools for automated pre-screening, SMS candidate engagement, mock interviews, and language verification, all while supporting mobile applications for interviewing. HarQen’s platform, known as Recruitment Acceleration Management Process, harnesses voice-to-web technology to capture and analyze conversations, thereby transforming voice interactions into actionable insights. Its services cater to diverse sectors, including staffing and placement, healthcare, banking, higher education, and retail, among others. Additionally, HarQen is a founding member of the Hypervoice Consortium, promoting innovative ways to organize and navigate voice conversations for improved collaboration and productivity.

Biosystem Development

Venture Round in 2009
BioSystem Development specializes in creating, manufacturing, and marketing system products aimed at addressing unmet needs in biotechnology and life science research. The company's innovative offerings include cartridges filled with small polymer beads, which facilitate rapid protein analysis for drug developers. By focusing on these specific applications, BioSystem Development supports advancements in research and enhances the efficiency of biotechnological processes.

VitalMedix

Venture Round in 2009
VitalMedix Inc., established in 2005 and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, specializes in the research and development of biopharmaceuticals. The company's primary focus is on sustaining cellular function and protecting cells during and after hemorrhagic shock. Its flagship product, Tamiasyn, is a biopharmaceutical designed to enable the human body to withstand severe blood loss and inhibit organ damage during resuscitation. Additionally, VitalMedix develops a hemorrhagic shock treatment system.

Biosystem Development

Series B in 2007
BioSystem Development specializes in creating, manufacturing, and marketing system products aimed at addressing unmet needs in biotechnology and life science research. The company's innovative offerings include cartridges filled with small polymer beads, which facilitate rapid protein analysis for drug developers. By focusing on these specific applications, BioSystem Development supports advancements in research and enhances the efficiency of biotechnological processes.

Biosystem Development

Angel Round in 2007
BioSystem Development specializes in creating, manufacturing, and marketing system products aimed at addressing unmet needs in biotechnology and life science research. The company's innovative offerings include cartridges filled with small polymer beads, which facilitate rapid protein analysis for drug developers. By focusing on these specific applications, BioSystem Development supports advancements in research and enhances the efficiency of biotechnological processes.

Prodesse

Seed Round in 2002
Prodesse is a biotechnology company focused on the development of molecular diagnostic reagents for infectious disease applications. The company offers three FDA 510(k) cleared products in the United States and two CE-marked products in Europe. Prodesse's reagents can be utilized with a range of nucleic acid extraction and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) platforms, including the SmartCycler II System. The company's products are designed to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of diagnosing infectious diseases, contributing to improved patient care and outcomes.

nPoint

Angel Round in 2002
nPoint specializes in the production and distribution of accessories for mobile devices.
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