A trip last week to Silicon Valley for five Madison startups to meet potential investors also helped with the branding of Madison as a “startup hub,” according to an organizer.

“There has always been familiarity with Madison as the home of (the University of Wisconsin), but now when we visit, investors can name Madison startups they’ve either supported or want to know more about,” Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce Vice President Kevin Little said.

Attending the two-day trip were Polco, winner of the Chamber’s Pressure Chamber, along with AkitaBox, GrocerKey, Markable and Moxe Health, as well as representatives from the Chamber.

The group’s itinerary included giving presentations to an invite-only crowd and taking a behind-the-scenes tour of YouTube’s campus.

“The momentum continues to grow,”  Little said. “Since we first started doing the trip, the participating companies have gone on to raise more than $100 million. Companies have made good connections, but I also think we have succeeded in our secondary objective to raise the viability of all the entrepreneurial activity happening in Greater Madison.”

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Photo courtesy Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce