This story is part of our Inno on the Road series. You can learn more about Milwaukee startups here.
Milwaukee has a rich history of entrepreneurship, with corporations like Harley Davidson, Kohl’s and Miller all carrying a founder’s name who turned a business from a paper napkin idea into a massive multi-national company.
But in 2016, as the tech boom is taking place all across the country, Milwaukee’s nascent startup scene has largely flown under the radar. However, that’s not to say there aren’t fast-growing, disruptive tech companies working to put Milwaukee’s startup ecosystem on the map. Here are nine to watch:
1. Wantable
Founded by serial Milwaukee entrepreneur Jalem Getz, who previously founded BuySeasons, the largest online costume retailer in the US, Wantable is a subscription box startup for women, delivering an assortment of makeup, fashion accessories and apparel. The startup has raised more than $4 million since it launched in 2012, and now employs more than 70 people.
Bright Cellars, a startup founded in Boston by two MIT grads, moved to Milwaukee last year after being accepted into the Gener8tor accelerator program. Bright Cellars is a subscription wine delivery startup that uses a quiz to understand a user’s wine preferences, and ships four bottles of wine to them a month. Users then rate each wine they receive, and Bright Cellars’ algorithm gets smarter over time to send brands users are most likely to enjoy. After launching in 2014 the company now has over 15,000 members and has raised $2 million.
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