Milwaukee Venture Mentoring Service (MKE VMS) connects high-growth startups with experienced founders and executives who have built and scaled companies of their own. Through a team-based mentorship model developed at MIT, participating companies gain access to a range of perspectives as they navigate key business decisions. This article is the second in a three-part series … Inside MKE VMS: Nunemaker on mentorship and leadership
Forward BIOLABS has announced the first round of awardees for its Innovation to Commercialization Pipeline (ICP) program, a new initiative designed to help early-stage biohealth companies across Wisconsin move closer to market readiness. The ICP program provides targeted, non-dilutive support to startups working to translate scientific innovation into commercial products. The program is aimed at … Forward BIOLABS announces first ICP awardees
2025 was marked by steady, strategic progress for the Milwaukee 7 startup community as institutions, founders and industry partners worked together to expand opportunity and capitalize on regional innovations. In June, the region made a bold leap forward with the unveiling of the Microsoft Corporation AI Co-Innovation Lab on the campus of University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee … 2025 highlights from the startup ecosystem
Some of the world’s most successful companies began in basements, spare bedrooms and backyard sheds. But every growing business eventually needs room to expand. For Milwaukee-based founders looking for space to spread their wings, the Technology Innovation Center, a long-standing yet little-known resource, may be the solution. The nonprofit business incubator, located in the Milwaukee … Technology Innovation Center helps startups scale with space and support
The Kenosha Innovation Center (KIC) has appointed strategic advisor and longtime startup mentor Glenn Gottfried as its new Startup Advisor in Residence. Gottfried brings decades of leadership, scaling experience, and founder support to one of southeastern Wisconsin’s fastest growing innovation hubs. Gottfried, who has guided multiple companies through growth and exits across public and private … Gottfried joins KIC as Startup Advisor in Residence
Five startups have been awarded a total of $50,000 in non-dilutive grants through the FOR-M program, presented by the MKE Tech Hub Coalition. Each company will receive $10,000 in funding to accelerate early-stage growth. This latest funding round brings FOR-M’s cumulative total to $570,000 in grants awarded since the program’s launch in 2021. The initiative … FOR-M awards $50,000 in new founder grants
Wisconsin Tech Month (WTM) returns this October for its fifth year, bringing together innovators, entrepreneurs, educators, and community leaders under the theme “The Future is Built Here.” What began as a grassroots movement in Milwaukee has grown into a statewide and regional celebration of technology and innovation. Organized by Milky Way Tech Hub and Latinos … Wisconsin Tech Month 2025 marks milestone year
Marquette University’s College of Business has a new champion for student entrepreneurs. John Wright, recently named the Coleman Chair and Assistant Professor of Practice – Entrepreneurship, is stepping into a role designed to expand opportunities for students across campus. Expanding student opportunities This fall, Wright will oversee the Marquette University Invitational Business Model Pitch Competition, … Marquette’s new Coleman chair brings fresh energy to entrepreneurship program
The FOR-M startup incubator has now awarded more than half a million dollars to Wisconsin startup founders. To assess the outcomes of this milestone, MKEStartup.News conducted an analysis of recipient companies. Launched in 2019 and now operated by the MKE Tech Hub Coalition, the FOR-M program, co-founded by Joe Poeschl and Maggie Fernandes, provides structure, … Beyond the grants: early data from FOR-M program
A new workshop hosted by Marquette University aims to equip academic researchers with the knowledge and tools to bring their scientific discoveries out of the lab and into the marketplace. The Realities of Biotech: A Case Study in Entrepreneurship, held July 23–24, 2025, is designed for scientists who are curious about commercialization but unsure where to … MU workshop helps scientists navigate biotech commercialization