Local companies that haven’t even formed yet could be among the biggest beneficiaries of the startling financial success of two local high-tech companies in the past two months, experts say.
TomoTherapy, which makes targeted radiation systems for cancer treatment, last month enjoyed a $223 million initial public offering of stock, while gene chip maker NimbleGen Systems this week passed on the IPO it had filed for in favor of a $272.5 million acquisition by Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche Holding AG.
….Years ago, TomoTherapy and NimbleGen were merely ideas in the brains of talented UW-Madison researchers. Developing such ideas into products and, ultimately, profitable companies requires funding — typically large amounts of funding.