3 Milwaukee firms join gener8tor’s fall class

Three Milwaukee companies have been accepted into gener8tor’s fall program, the startup accelerator announced in a news release Friday.

Through the 12-week program, gener8tor supports the growth of the companies with mentorship, connections to investors and technologists. The accelerator invests up to $140,000 into each startup. Six companies are enrolled in this fall’s session.

Gener8tor also operates programs in Minneapolis and Madison. It’s ranked among the top 16 accelerator programs in the United States by the Seed Accelerator Rankings project.

The three Milwaukee companies focus on nutrition, idea management and financing.

GenoPalate takes its clients’ DNA, along with demographic and lifestyle information, to make personalized nutrition recommendations.

Ideawake serves companies with its idea management platform so employers can crowdsource ideas from stakeholders such as employees and customers, evaluate options and manage implementation.

SteamChain flips the way original equipment manufacturers charge customers so that they’re paid based on the productivity of the machine over its lifecycle.

“We had a pool of 600 applicants innovating every industry imaginable, and we are thrilled to be working with these six,” gener8tor Program Director Louis Condon said in a news release. “It’s a privilege to work with this group of accomplished entrepreneurs, both individually and as a group.”

The other three gener8tor companies hail from Chicago and New York:

FactoryFix, a Chicagobased startup, connects manufacturers with skilled workers like machinists, maintenance technicians and automation experts.

Keyo uses its biometric identity platform and palm scanning technology to replace keys, credit cards, tickets and other items. Keyo is based in Chicago.

Nonnatech, a Manhattanbased company, provides healthcare providers with actionable insights to better manage patient care, costs and savings with machine learning algorithms.

Gener8tor’s flagship program has 54 alumni companies that have gone on to raise more than $120 million in follow-on financing and employ more than 1,500 people, according to the accelerator.