Ten panel discussions will dive into best practices and success stories at the 15th annual Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference, June 6-7 in Madison.

Visit www.WiTrepsConference.com to register, reserve parking and to learn more about the conference and our new location at Union South on the UW-Madison campus.

The two-day conference will feature sessions organized into three concurrent tracks titled “Launch, Grow and Succeed” to appeal to companies at different stages of development.

The 10 panels in the Launch and Grow tracks will feature seasoned entrepreneurs, investors and others as they look at a variety of challenges and hurdles emerging companies may face.

The previously announced “Succeed” track will showcase five companies that have moved to, expanded and/or continue to grow in Wisconsin – and why the state is the right place for them. They are Datica, Redox, Tera’s Whey, Revolution EHR and Hometown Trolley.

The Launch Track will include these panels: “Beg, borrow, bootstrap: Ways to finance your startup;” “Muster across Wisconsin: Vets becoming ‘treps;” “Does tech hate women?” “What founders should know: Common hurdles, mistakes and pitfalls” and “Community connections: Finding entrepreneurial support close to home.”

The Grow Track will feature: “Securing sales: How to find (and keep) your first customers;” “Building your team: How to recruit and retain talent;” “Keeping it legal: ‘Do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ for young companies;” “Corporate fund-of-funds: What Wisconsin can learn from other states” and “Marketing your startup: Social media’s place in your toolbox.”

“Our panel line-up is designed to help entrepreneurs at all stages, and from all industry sectors, learn from veteran ‘treps, investors and others who have walked this path before,” said Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council. “Our panelists are willing to share their experiences with others … from successes to occasional failures, pivots and reboots.”

More than 500 people are expected to attend the two-day conference, produced by the Wisconsin Technology Council. Other highlights include:

  • Nationally known speakers Arvind Subramanian and Alan Webber (both June 7). Subramanian is a nationally known digital health executive; Webber is the founder of Fast Company.
  • The 2017 Ken Hendricks Memorial “Seize the Day” award, to be presented June 6 to Zach Halmstad of Jamf, an Eau Claire-based software company
  • Diligent (Baker’s) Dozen: Thirteen finalists from the Governor’s Business Plan Contest square off June 6.
  • Panel discussions and educational seminars for emerging companies on how to “Launch, Grow and Succeed” will span both days
  • Innovation Showcase featuring more than 45 companies from around the state
  • Plenty of chances to network with seasoned entrepreneurs and investors over food and refreshments

Sponsors thus far are: Aberdean Consulting, Advanced Materials Industrial Consortium, Alliant Energy, American Family Insurance, American Transmission Co., AT&T, Baird Capital, Baker Tilly, BDO, BloodCenter of Wisconsin, BMO Harris Bank, Boardman & Clark, Bunker Labs – Wisconsin, Cardigan, Carroll University, Center for Technology Commercialization, City of Fitchburg, Dedicated Computing, DeWitt Ross & Stevens, DXC Technology, Exact Sciences, Findorff, First Business Bank, Godfrey & Kahn, Google, HealthX Ventures, Husch Blackwell, IBM, Kinetic Compliance Solutions, Madison College, Madison Gas & Electric, Makin’ HEY!, Marquette University, Marshfield Clinic Health System, Michael Best, Midwest Prototyping, Murphy Desmond, N29 Capital Partners, Neider & Boucher, Noble Applications, Quarles & Brady, Red Arrow Productions, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, River Valley Bank, Rockwell Automation, Summit Credit Union, Uber, University Research Park, UW-Green Bay, UW-Milwaukee Research Foundation, UW-Madison Discovery to Product (D2P), UW-Madison Office of Corporate Relations, UW-Madison University Relations, Venture Investors, Veritas Technologies, Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., WERCBench Labs, Whitewater University Technology Park, Wisconsin Health & Educational Facilities Authority, WIPFLI, Wisconsin Technical College System, WTN Media, and Yahara Software.

 

For more information, visit www.witrepsconference.com or call 608-442-7557.