From three plans for cleaning large amounts of water to a nutraceutical to keep your dog from itching, and from medical science breakthroughs to novel ways to employ artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and software, the “Diligent Dozen” in the 2022 Wisconsin Governor’s Business Plan Contest represent a cross section of tech innovation in Wisconsin.

It’s no longer a case of Wisconsin companies needing to compete against their peers in Illinois, Minnesota, or other neighboring states for technology talent. It has become a national and international contest, thanks in large part to the rise of remote work.

The village and town of Plover near Stevens Point are not unlike many mid-sized communities in Wisconsin, with tidy homes, stores, schools, restaurants, parks, and more. But Plover has something hard to find in most other places: It has an organized group of early-stage investors.

For those people who live in the Madison area or often pass through, the evolution of Exact Sciences in a physical sense has been nothing short of dramatic.