Strudel seizes the golden suitcase at GMCC’s Pressure Chamber

The 12th annual Pressure Chamber pitch competition took center stage Aug. 19 at The Sylvee in Madison, hosted by the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce. The event, presented in partnership with Michael Best and The Forward Festival, offers startups the chance to pitch before a live audience and national investors.

At stake was the coveted “golden suitcase,” which grants the winning startup access to a round of exclusive meetings with Silicon Valley investment firms this fall. This year, the honor went to Strudel, a company that uses AI to streamline technical support for SaaS companies.

Finalists represented a diverse set of industries and innovations:

• Atrility – Uses AI to transform cardiac care by diagnosing and predicting arrhythmias through patented waveform analysis technology already 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 designed to detect and remove deepfake and harmful content efficiently and affordably.
• Reliable Residence – Connects traveling healthcare professionals with safe, furnished monthly housing, solving a challenge its physician-founder once faced firsthand.
• Strudel – Streamlines technical support for B2B SaaS companies with AI, reducing resolution times and easing the burden on engineering teams.

Now in its 12th year, Pressure Chamber continues to highlight the strength and creativity of Wisconsin’s startup ecosystem while giving emerging companies a rare pathway to national investment opportunities.