Jan Eddy, an entrepreneur, investor and mentor who has helped scores of young companies gain their footing over time, will receive the 2016 “Excellence in Entrepreneurial Education” award at the Nov. 16-17 Wisconsin Early Stage Symposium.
Eddy will be honored Nov. 17 during the second day of the conference, which will be held at the Monona Terrace Convention Center in Madison. Visit www.wisearlystage.com to register.
The “Triple E” award, sponsored by Concordia University, was established by the Wisconsin Technology Council to highlight the importance of entrepreneurial education.
The selection of Eddy by the 2016 conference steering committee was based on:
- Delivering outstanding quality in teaching entrepreneurship and/or mentoring entrepreneurs, in or out of the classroom
- Stimulating innovative methods for teaching or mentoring entrepreneurs
- Promoting entrepreneurial education and mentorship among scholars, policymakers, practitioners and others
- Providing a significant contribution to the development of best practices in the field
Previous winners of the “Triple E” award were Tim Keane, an investor and entrepreneur who was one of the first college-level educators in Wisconsin to design courses around entrepreneurial studies; and Thomas “Rock” Mackie, a scientist, entrepreneur and educator who has been at the center of building an entrepreneurial culture on the UW-Madison campus.
Eddy, of Prairie du Sac, founded Office Solutions and Wingra Software. She volunteered to help scores of companies over time through many venues, including the Early Stage Symposium. She served on the first board of directors for the Weinert Center for Entrepreneurship within the UW-Madison School of Business; was an early member of the Madison Entrepreneur Resource, Learning and Innovation Network (MERLIN); a co-founder of the Doyenne Group for women entrepreneurs; a board member at Edgewood College during the growth of the school’s entrepreneurship program; and a guest lecturer at many colleges and universities.
“It’s hard to imagine someone who has done more to teach entrepreneurs in Wisconsin than Jan Eddy,” said Tom Still, president of the Tech Council.
The Triple E award is one of many conference features. Other highlights unveiled so far:
- Remarks at the Wisconsin W·O·M·E·N reception the evening of Nov. 15 by Eve Hall, the president of the African-American Chamber of Commerce. The reception will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the meeting space at M3 Insurance, 828 John Nolen Drive. Register here for this separate event
- Nov. 16 panel discussion entitled “Invest in the Midwest: How regional funds view Wisconsin.”
- Experts from leading national law firms and funds will take part in “A national view: Trends in early stage investing,” 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 17.
- Remarks 1 p.m. Nov. 17 by Jack Salzwedel, chief executive officer and president of American Family Insurance and a community innovation leader.
Registration is open at www.wisearlystage.com. The conference will also feature:
- Presentations by 50 companies in two investor-focused tracks
- A new “Investor Intros” segment open to companies that register by Nov. X for this speed-dating track with 26 funds and networks.
- “Office Hours,” which are small-group meetings with subject experts on a mix of topics.
- SBIR/STTR awards luncheon to recognize grant recipients from the past year.
- The “First Look” forum featuring selected campus-based technologies.
- Exhibit hall showcasing more than 40 Wisconsin companies.
The Tech Council produces the conference. Sponsors so far include: 100State; Aberdean; Adana Holdings; Advanced Materials Industrial Consortium; Alliant Energy; American Family Insurance; American Transmission Co.; AT&T; Aurora Research Institute; Baird Capital; Baker Tilly; BDO; BloodCenter of WI; BMO Harris Bank; Boardman & Clark; Carroll University; City of Fitchburg; Concordia University; Cresa Madison; Dane County Regional Airport; Dedicated Computing; Findorff; First Business Bank; Fluno Center; Functional Biosciences; Godfrey & Kahn; HealthX Ventures; HP Enterprise Services; Husch Blackwell; Madison College; Madison Gas & Electric; Makin HEY! Communications; Marquette University; Marshfield Clinic; Medical College of Wisconsin – OTD; Michael Best; Midwest Prototyping; Morgridge Institute; Murphy Desmond S.C.; N29 Capital Partners; Neider & Boucher; NEW Capital Fund; New Glarus Brewing Company; Perkins Coie; PreventionGenetics; Promega Corp.; Quarles & Brady; Red Arrow Production; Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c.; Skyward; Smith & Gesteland; Square 1 Bank; State of Wisconsin Investment Board; Summit Credit Union; University Research Park; UW-Madison Office of Corporate Relations; UW-Milwaukee Research Foundation; Venture Investors; Veritas; WERCBench Labs; Whitewater University Technology Park; WIPFLI; Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation; Wisconsin Center for Manufacturing & Productivity; Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.; Wisconsin Health & Educational Facility Authority; WTN Media; Ziegler
Learn more and register at www.wisearlystage.com.
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