Forward Festival returns; Pressure Chamber finalists announced

The 16th annual Forward Festival, running Aug. 18–22 in Madison, will feature more than 60 events across approximately 25 venues — the most in the festival’s history.

Among the highlights is the 12th annual Pressure Chamber, taking place Aug. 19 at The Sylvee. Presented by the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, Pressure Chamber gives emerging companies the opportunity to pitch in front of national investors and a live audience. The winning startup earns the coveted “golden suitcase,” securing a spot in the Chamber’s exclusive meetings with Silicon Valley investment firms this fall.

This year’s Pressure Chamber finalists include:

• Atrility – Uses AI to transform cardiac care by diagnosing and predicting arrhythmias through patented waveform analysis technology deployed in hospitals nationwide.
• Maxwave – Pioneers long-range wireless power beaming, enabling cable-free energy transfer for autonomous systems, smart cities, and remote operations.
• redelevenlabs – Combats AI-generated impersonation and defamation with tools that detect and remove deepfake and harmful content efficiently and affordably.
• Reliable Residence – Connects traveling healthcare professionals with safe, furnished monthly housing, solving a problem its physician-founder once faced firsthand.
• Strudel – Streamlines technical support for B2B SaaS companies by using AI to cut resolution times by 65% and free up engineering resources.

“The innovation coming out of our region continues to impress,” said Chamber President Zach Brandon. “This year’s Pressure Chamber is shaping up to be the biggest yet.”

Past winners have cited the Pressure Chamber as a pivotal moment in securing venture capital. According to event organizers, the competition has earned national recognition from the International Economic Development Council and Steve Case’s Rise of the Rest Summit as a best practice in startup support.

Other returning staples of the Forward Festival include the Badger Startup Summit (Aug. 18), now hosted at the UW–Madison Engineering Centers Building. This year also brings new offerings, such as Music Industry Night on Aug. 18 and a Cinema Showcase on Aug. 20, alongside expanded wellness programming and eight sessions focused on artificial intelligence.

“This year’s Forward Festival represents unprecedented growth and diversification,” said Laura Strong, festival board member and founder of the Valency Fund. “It’s exciting to see so many new organizers getting involved—it shows how this event, made by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs, continues to evolve.”

For more information on this year’s schedule and participants, visit forwardfest.org.