CellTrack, a Madison life sciences company, has won the 13th annual Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce Pressure Chamber contest, the chamber announced.
One of four finalists in the Pressure Chamber, the company was chosen for the honor through a combination of audience voting and investor-judge scoring at an event Tuesday night at the Sylvee.
Victor Fernandes, founder and CEO of CellTrack, received the “golden suitcase” award and will accompany the chamber on its trip to San Francisco in October. While there, he will make a case for venture funding to Silicon Valley investors.
CellTrack’s technology enables non-invasive imaging of cell therapies with 100 times greater sensitivity than existing methods. This approach could improve the treatment of solid tumors, and it cuts drug development time and cost in half.
The Pressure Chamber contest is part of Madison’s annual Forward Festival, which is taking place this week at locations throughout the city. Past winners have raised nearly $1 billion in venture funding.
Other finalists in the 2026 Pressure Chamber were CuroNow, a care coordination platform for home care agencies; FUDI Protein, which makes the protein RuBisCO from the leaves of plants; and Service ID, an AI-powered decision intelligence platform for water utility operators.
