Milwaukee welcomes five startup companies selected for the Milwaukee gener8tor program, a 12-week accelerator program that provides $100,000 in investment funding for each of the companies chosen to participate in the nationally recognized program.

The five companies taking part in the Milwaukee-based program were recruited from around the world, went through a rigorous application and interview process, and were chosen from among hundreds of applicants because of their strong performance on four elements: traction, team, product/service and opportunity.

The companies selected to join the cohort are: Los Angeles-based Bidstitch; Indianapolis-based DocuMentor; London-based Farmstand; Eau Claire, Wisconsin-based Speakfully; and Raleigh, North Carolina-based Without A Trace.

Typically, the companies chosen for the program stay in Milwaukee full-time for the 12-week program. For this 2021 gener8tor cohort, the program is presented in hybrid form due to COVID-19 restrictions. Most of the meetings will be handled virtually.

The gener8tor Milwaukee 2021 program kicked off on Oct. 28 and will conclude on Feb. 24 with a public demo day, called Premiere Night.

Occasionally, the companies decide to relocate their businesses to Brew City. Molly Dill, Managing Director of gener8tor Milwaukee,  said “that has happened a handful of times, most notably with Fiveable (now at $14M raised, 19 jobs created) and Bright Cellars (now $20M raised, 107 jobs created).”

Milwaukee played host to members of the Midwest-based Speakfully and DocuMentor teams and looks forward to welcoming the rest of the cohort in 2022.

“We’re so excited to be supporting these founders to overcome obstacles, make meaningful connections and raise investor capital,” Dill said. “These five startups set themselves apart in a very competitive global applicant pool, and their future is bright.”